The Philosophy Of Scientific Experimentation

The Philosophy Of Scientific Experimentation PDF

Author: Hans Radder

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre

Published: 2003-02-23

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9780822972396

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The Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation focuses on the identification and clarification of philosophical issues in experimental science.Since the late 1980s, the neglect of experiment by philosophers and historians of science has been replaced by a keen interest in the subject. In this volume, a number of prominent philosophers of experiment directly address basic theoretical questions, develop existing philosophical accounts, and offer novel perspectives on the subject, rather than rely exclusively on historical cases of experimental practice.Each essay examines one or more of six interconnected themes that run throughout the collection: the philosophical implications of actively and intentionally interfering with the material world while conducting experiments; issues of interpretation regarding causality; the link between science and technology; the role of theory in experimentation involving material and causal intervention; the impact of modeling and computer simulation on experimentation; and the philosophical implications of the design, operation, and use of scientific instruments.

The Philosophy Of Scientific Experimentation

The Philosophy Of Scientific Experimentation PDF

Author: Hans Radder

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre

Published: 2003-02-23

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 9780822972396

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation focuses on the identification and clarification of philosophical issues in experimental science.Since the late 1980s, the neglect of experiment by philosophers and historians of science has been replaced by a keen interest in the subject. In this volume, a number of prominent philosophers of experiment directly address basic theoretical questions, develop existing philosophical accounts, and offer novel perspectives on the subject, rather than rely exclusively on historical cases of experimental practice.Each essay examines one or more of six interconnected themes that run throughout the collection: the philosophical implications of actively and intentionally interfering with the material world while conducting experiments; issues of interpretation regarding causality; the link between science and technology; the role of theory in experimentation involving material and causal intervention; the impact of modeling and computer simulation on experimentation; and the philosophical implications of the design, operation, and use of scientific instruments.

The Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation

The Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation PDF

Author: Hans Radder

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780822957959

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Since the late 1980s, the neglect of experiment by philosophers and historians of science has been replaced by a keen interest in the subject. In this volume, a number of prominent philosophers of experiment directly address basic theoretical questions, develop existing philosophical accounts, and offer novel perspectives on the subject, rather than rely exclusively on historical cases of experimental practice. Each essay examines one or more of six interconnected themes that run throughout the collection: the philosophical implications of actively and intentionally interfering with the material world while conducting experiments; issues of interpretation regarding causality; the link between science and technology; the role of theory in experimentation involving material and causal intervention; the impact of modeling and computer simulation on experimentation; and the philosophical implications of the design, operation, and use of scientific instruments.

Experiment and the Making of Meaning

Experiment and the Making of Meaning PDF

Author: D.C. Gooding

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9400907079

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. . . the topic of 'meaning' is the one topic discussed in philosophy in which there is literally nothing but 'theory' - literally nothing that can be labelled or even ridiculed as the 'common sense view'. Putnam, 'The Meaning of Meaning' This book explores some truths behind the truism that experimentation is a hallmark of scientific activity. Scientists' descriptions of nature result from two sorts of encounter: they interact with each other and with nature. Philosophy of science has, by and large, failed to give an account of either sort of interaction. Philosophers typically imagine that scientists observe, theorize and experiment in order to produce general knowledge of natural laws, knowledge which can be applied to generate new theories and technologies. This view bifurcates the scientist's world into an empirical world of pre-articulate experience and know how and another world of talk, thought and argument. Most received philosophies of science focus so exclusively on the literary world of representations that they cannot begin to address the philosophical problems arising from the interaction of these worlds: empirical access as a source of knowledge, meaning and reference, and of course, realism. This has placed the epistemological burden entirely on the predictive role of experiment because, it is argued, testing predictions is all that could show that scientists' theorizing is constrained by nature. Here a purely literary approach contributes to its own demise. The epistemological significance of experiment turns out to be a theoretical matter: cruciality depends on argument, not experiment.

Thought Experiments in Science and Philosophy

Thought Experiments in Science and Philosophy PDF

Author: Tamara Horowitz

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13:

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Despite their centrality and importance to both science and philosophy, relatively little has been written about thought experiments. This volume brings together a series of extremely interesting studies of the history, mechanics, and applications of this important intellectual resource. A distinguished list of philosophers and scientists consider the role of thought experiments in their various disciplines, and argue that an examination of thought experimentation goes to the heart of both science and philosophy.

Thought Experiments in Philosophy, Science, and the Arts

Thought Experiments in Philosophy, Science, and the Arts PDF

Author: Mélanie Frappier

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 0415885442

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From Lucretius throwing a spear beyond the boundary of the universe to Einstein racing against a beam of light, thought experiments stand as a fascinating challenge to the necessity of data in the empirical sciences. Are these experiments, conducted uniquely in our imagination, simply rhetorical devices or communication tools or are they an essential part of scientific practice? This volume surveys the current state of the debate and explores new avenues of research into the epistemology of thought experiments.

String Theory and the Scientific Method

String Theory and the Scientific Method PDF

Author: Richard Dawid

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-05-02

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1107067588

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String theory has played a highly influential role in theoretical physics for nearly three decades and has substantially altered our view of the elementary building principles of the Universe. However, the theory remains empirically unconfirmed, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. So why do string theorists have such a strong belief in their theory? This book explores this question, offering a novel insight into the nature of theory assessment itself. Dawid approaches the topic from a unique position, having extensive experience in both philosophy and high-energy physics. He argues that string theory is just the most conspicuous example of a number of theories in high-energy physics where non-empirical theory assessment has an important part to play. Aimed at physicists and philosophers of science, the book does not use mathematical formalism and explains most technical terms.

The Play of Nature

The Play of Nature PDF

Author: Robert P. Crease

Publisher:

Published: 1993-12-22

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13:

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This novel approach to philosophy of science asserts that experimentation is at the center of science and explains the experimental process through an analogy with theatrical performance. Attacking positivist and Kantian varieties of philosophy of science in which experimentation takes a backseat to theory, Robert R. Crease develops his conception of the centrality of experimentation via an argumentative analogy with theatrical performances. To establish his program, Crease draws on three nonpositivist strands of recent philosophy: Husserl's phenomenology to clarify the notion of invariance, Dewey's pragmatism to make needed revisions in our idea of productive inquiry, and Heidegger's hermeneutics to formulate a concept of interpretation appropriate to the cultural and historical "lifeworld" in which members of a scientific community think and act.

Thought Experiments in Science, Philosophy, and the Arts

Thought Experiments in Science, Philosophy, and the Arts PDF

Author: Melanie Frappier

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-09-10

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1136285997

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From Lucretius throwing a spear beyond the boundary of the universe to Einstein racing against a beam of light, thought experiments stand as a fascinating challenge to the necessity of data in the empirical sciences. Are these experiments, conducted uniquely in our imagination, simply rhetorical devices or communication tools or are they an essential part of scientific practice? This volume surveys the current state of the debate and explores new avenues of research into the epistemology of thought experiments.

Experimental Philosophy and the Birth of Empirical Science

Experimental Philosophy and the Birth of Empirical Science PDF

Author: Michael Ben-Chaim

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 1351937758

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How did empirical research become the cornerstone of modern science? Scholars have traditionally associated empirical research with the search for knowledge, but have failed to provide adequate solutions to this basic historical problem. This book offers a different approach that focuses on human understanding - rather than knowledge - and its cultural expression in the creation and social transaction of causal explanations. Ancient Greek philosophers professed that genuine understanding of a particular subject was gained only when its nature, or essence, was defined. This ancient mode of explanation furnished the core teachings of late medieval natural philosophers, and was reaffirmed by early modern philosophers such as Bacon and Descartes. Yet during the second half of the 17th century, radical transformation gave rise to innovative research practices that were designed to explain how empirical properties of the physical world were correlated. The study unfolded in this book centres on the works of Robert Boyle, John Locke, and Isaac Newton - the most notable exponents of the 'experimental philosophy' in the late 17th century - to explore how this transformation led to the emergence of a recognizably modern culture of empirical research. Relating empirical with explanatory practices, this book offers a novel solution to one of the major problems in the history of western science and philosophy. It thereby provides a new perspective on the Scientific Revolution and the origins of modern empiricism. At the same time, this book demonstrates how historical and sociological tools can be combined to study science as an evolving institution of human understanding.