Bundle of summaries of articles on Philosophy of Science.
Originally written by Mikayla Brier-Mills.
This article compares three cultures on nine dimensions. The three cultures are: natural scientists, social scientists and humanists. The nine dimensions against which these cultures are compared, are
primary interests
primary sources of evidence and control of conditions
primary vocabulary
the influence of historical conditions
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. It is a type of philosophy that addresses knowledge in all of its divergent forms – from geographical, to ethical, scientific, mathematical or cultural thought. The focus of this article is propositional knowledge. Epistemologists claim to be expert on this theory. A proposition is a statement that attempts to prove the
..... read moreHume recognises a dilemma in the process of induction: that it cannot be justified. Induction is a process of reasoning where ‘instances of which we have had no experience resemble those of which we have had experience’. Hume’s problem is that the process of induction can neither be justified deductively (to work
..... read moreAs a general proposition, laws are too diverse in order to classify them within a single universal definition. What can be certain is that searching for laws is one of the main goals of natural science. The laws of nature ascend from written law made by men. They are presumed precepts of
..... read moreExplanation is one of the manifest aims of science. An explanation allows one to understand the connection between items of knowledge. It is to be noted that explanations involve more than mere sound, law-involving arguments. To this end, one should draw the connection between explanations and causation. A cause is a factor that ensures
..... read moreIn order to discern what a scientific theory is, first of all, it must be understood that science is an empirical method that is based on observation and inductive reasoning. This is to be contrasted to non-empirical methods, even those that are formulated by observation. Not all observational experiments meet scientific standards (for example, pseudo-science
..... read moreThe first chapter of Structure addresses two different approaches to the historical traditions of science. The main aim of the older tradition was to come to a deeper understanding of modern/contemporary science. This was done by focusing on the process of growth of science and how it develops from one piece of knowledge to
..... read moreThe most effective way to explain a difficult concept and to assist others to understand that concept is through models, metaphors and analogies. These three mechanisms are different by nature but can all be used for the same purpose: explanation. Metaphors and analogies are notably not too dissimilar by nature as they typically manifest
..... read moreA case study is a reasonable way to answer broad research questions, by providing a detailed understanding of how the process develops in the case. The purpose of social research is to describe and explain social phenomena. A social phenomenon is a way of describing the interactions of people, institutions, governments and states. Social
..... read moreThe simpler a message is conveyed, the better it is understood and the easier it is to find truth in what was said. However, simplicity is not always that accurate. If a decision strategy is formulated by three questions that are answered with a ‘yes or no’ – it would ignore other possible measured predictors; it
..... read moreInterpretation and explanation are critical to understanding. There is not one way to describe either of the two concepts. Erklären means law-governed explanation. Scientists who engage in erklären attempt to make explanatory sense of something by resorting to the laws that govern that thing. It relates to the social/natural sciences and is mainly used by people
..... read moreThe relativist accepts that there are converging ways to justify the rationality of different historical, political, religious and cultural factors. The absolutist would opine that there is only way to rationalise such factors – the ‘right’ way. The problem with latter approach is that the concept of an absolute sense of
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