PhilosophyofscienceII

FrompositiviststoThomasKuhn

Keyconceptsinthephilosophyof
science

Positivism
Logicalpositivism
Falsificationism
Paradigms
Anarchy
Socialconstructions
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Positivism
AugusteComte(17981857)

Facts
Facts
Morefacts
Generalizefromthose
facts
=induction

Comtesevolutionarystages
Lawofthreephasesofcivilisationsevolution
Theological
Metaphysical
Scientific
Thefinalpositivestage
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Logicalpositivism
Viennacircle 1920s1930s
MoritzSchlick,RudolfCarnap,OttoNeurath,
A.J.Ayer

Metaphysics(=notscience):
Allpropositionsthatareneitherverifiableby
empiricalobservationnordemonstrableas
analytic.
Ex.:religiousandethicalstatements....

Scientificmethod
Inductionandverifiability
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AlfredAyer(191089)inhisLanguage,
TruthandLogicfirstpublishedin1936.
Thefirstclaimoflogicalpositivistsisthatastatementcan
onlybetrueonlyifeither
itisaselfevidentanalytic,deductivetruthofthekind
foundinmathematicsandformallogic(e.g.2+2=4)
orbecause
thestatementmatchesrealityprecisely.Aconsequence
ofthiswasthatstatementshadtobeverifiabletobe
meaningful.
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Viennacircleproject
Developanexactandunbiasedlanguagefor
science.
logic,mathematics.

Demarcationproblem
makeacleardistinctionbetweenscienceand
metaphysics(notscience)

Reductionism:
Physics,thequeenofscience.
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Falsificationism
KarlR.Popper1902
1994
Criticizedinductivism
andverifiability:
Nonumberofcasesof
AbeingBcan
establishthatallA
beingB.Allsuch
statementsremain
disprovable.

Principleoffalsifiabillity
Scientifictheorycanneverbeaccordedmorethana
provisionalacceptance.
Atheoryholdsuntilitisdisproved.
Falsification,notverificationistheappropriateobjectof
theobservationalandexperimentalproceduresofscience.
Falsifiabilityisanecessarypartofascientifictheory.
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Poppers
hypotheticodeductivemethod
Enlargementsofourtemporaryknowledgebegins
withtheconversionsofhunchesorimaginative
insightsintohypotheses.
Then,oncetheconditionsforfalsificationhave
beenestablishedbytheapplicationofdeductive
logic,suchhypothesesmustbetestedthrough
sustainedsearchfornegativeinstances.
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Assignment
Trytogiveanexamplesoftheorieswhichare
falsifiableandnotfalsifiable.
WhatwouldPoppersayaboutatheorywhichis
notfalsifiable?
Arepopperianismor/andlogicalpositivism
descriptiveornormativetheoriesofscience?
Argueforyouranswer.
Whatdoesthishavetodowiththeproblemof
demarcation?
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PostPopperiantheories
BothThelogicalpositivistsandpopperians
didnotdescribereality,theywerecreating
normsabouthowtheythoughtscience
shouldbepracticedforthebest(most
effective)results.
Criticsby
ThomasKuhn,ImreLakatos,Paul
Feyerabend
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ThomasS.Kuhn(192296)
Structureofthescientific
revolution(1962)
Paradigmtheory
Presciencenormalscience
crisisrevolutionnew
normalsciencenewcrisis
revolution

Atheorybasedonstudyof
historyofscience
Attemptstodescribehow
sciencedevelopsinreality

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Kuhn'snormalscience
Grandtheoryasaparadigm
Praxis
communityofscientists
socialpowerrelationsandstructuresinthescientific
community

methodologicalschool,exemplars
puzzlingrealityintermsofthegrandtheoryby
deduction
increasinganomaliesleadtocrisis
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Paradigmshift
Incrisistherewillbeextraordinaryscience
wheretherewillbeseveralcompetingtheories
Onetheorywillwinbecauseitwillgetthe
greatestnumberofsupportersinthescientific
community
Paradigmshiftisanirrationalprocess,such
asaccuracy,scope,simplicity,fruitfulness,
andthelikeofeachparadigm
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Kuhnswiewonscientificrevolution
Not(unexpected)newresultsfromresearch,
ratheranewperspectiveorinterpretationof
data.

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Assignment
Exemplifythefollowingconcepts:

Paradigm
Normalscience
Exemplars
Anomalies
Paradigmincrisis
Extraordinaryscience
Paradigmshift
incommensurability
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ImreLakatos
Criticismandthemethodology
ofscientificresearchprograms
(1968)
ReactstoKuhnsviewsand
claimsthat
theredoesexistanobjectivecriteria
wherescientistscanmakearational
choicebetweentwocompeting
theories
itisduetodishonestythatsome
scientistsdonotgiveuptheir
position

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Lakatosscientificresearch
programs
Researchprogramsareseriesoftheories
whichcanbeviewedintwoways
a.negativeheuristicthatstatesauntouchable
hardcoreofhypothesiswithaprotectivebelt
aroundit,protectingitfromfalsification
b.positiveheuristicdeclaringthatthecorecan
bealteredslightlyinordertofitprogression

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Positiveheuristic
isthegoodonefromLakatospointofview
ThedevelopmentfromCopernicustoNewton
ishisgoodexample

Negativeheuristicisthelessgoodone
TycoBrahesgeocentrictheoryisLakatos
examplehere

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TheLakatosview?
HerevisedthePopperianviewafterKuhn
IfthePopperianviewhadbeenpracticed
throughhistorynoneoftheprogressive
theorieswouldhavesurvived
HewantedtosavethesciencesfromKuhn's
irrationalgrounds

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Anarchy

PaulFeyerabend
Nosinglecorrectmethodinscience
Anythingthatworksisfine
=epistemologicalanarchy

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Socialconstructionofscience
laboratorylifeisdisorganized
Scientificlogicvs.availabilityof
equipment,funds,careersetc.

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