Epistemology Flashcards
epistemology
Knowledge is derived through sense experience by the objective
disinterested researcher who then applies logics and mathematics in order to make
sense of the sense experience.
ontology
There is no fundamental difference between social science and natural
science both study a reality that is concrete and countable
homo faber
Beings who make things; and the only species that creates their own
environments rather than merely adapting to them
homo sapiens
Beings with intellectual capacity
Reflecting on Heidegger’s carpenter example and the interplay between
theoretical knowledge and practical experience in engineering, how does this
relationship influence the approach to problem-solving and innovation in the
field?
Problem-solving in engineering requires both theory and practice for effective
solutions
The field of Engineering is varied, ranging from aerospace engineering to
biomedical engineering to business engineering. What activity unites these
different fields and “makes them” engineering fields? *
problem-solving through design and innovation to create
functional and efficient systems
What is the difference between a scientist and an engineer?
Scientists discover and explain “what is” (descriptive), while engineers design and
create “what could be” (normative)
What is the problem of demarcation?
Problem of distinguishing between science and non-science
What is a hypothesis?
A testable and falsifiable proposed explanation for a phenomenon
What is empiricism?
The only source of knowledge in our senses
What is the problem of induction?
That even if all our observations/experiments have shown the same, we can’t be sure
that the next observations/experiments will show the same
What characterizes deductive arguments?
The conclusion follows logically from the premises
What characterizes inductive arguments?
They can only support the conclusion by some probability.
What does it mean that science is cumulative?
That science over time provides better and better explanations of what can be
observed
What role does verification play in positivism?
Verification plays the role of demarcation in positivism meaning that theories must be
verifiable to be scientific.
How does science progress according to Popper?
By learning from the flaws of older falsified theories, science put forth better and better
new theories.
What is falsification?
The idea that observations can never prove a (true) theory but observations can falsify a
wrong one.
What is Popper’s main argument against verificationism?
In order for a theory to be considered scientific, it must, in principle, be able to be
falsified by means of observation and experiments
What is, according to Popper, a pseudo-science?
Pseudo-science is characterized by the fact that its theories cannot be falsified
What are the steps in the Hypothetic-Deductive Method?
A hypothesis is put forward
Consequences and results are deduced from this hypothesis
By means of observation and/or experiments these findings are sought falsified, thus
testing the hypothesis
If the hypothesis is not rejected, you try again!
What is the core idea of social constructivism?
Describes meanings as being socially constructed, as opposed to the individual
construction of meaning in constructivism.
What is a paradigm according to Kuhn?
A paradigm is a worldview shared by a scientific community
What is normal science in Kuhn’s terminology?
It is how science is carried out within a commonly accepted paradigm.
Why do the sciences enter a crisis according to Kuhn?
Because the anomalies cannot be explained or excused any longer
