Exam 1 Flashcards
(96 cards)
What is the purpose of political science?
The scientific study of politics is about application of the method of science to the study of political phenomena
What is empiricism?
Puts forward explanations of phenomena and use observations judge the the tenability of explanations. An empiricist demands that data and observations support whatever point is being made.
What is the principle of verification?
Statements can only be provisionally accepted only to the extent that they are derived from observational evidence. Doesn’t mean absolute proof, evidence has to fit the claim you make.
What is unfalsifiablity?
A claim that cannot be refuted by any evidence. Examples- astrology, everything can fit
Who made the principle of falsifiability?
Carl Popper
What is a probabilistic theory?
A theory where particular anomalies do not prove it wrong, but are falsifiable. Ex- South tends to be more conservative, but there are liberals in the South
Are all theories equally improbable?
Since all potential observations are infinite, no amount of successful testing will increase the probability that a particular theory is true. But, between two theories, it is rational to prefer one that accounts for all the evidence that a rival theory explains, plus all the evidence it does not.
When does confidence in a theory grow?
As it predicts novel facts, facts that could not have been conceived without the theory (bending light, quantum entanglement)
What is spurious correlation?
When two variables are related, but one doesn’t cause the other. Predictions are possible even when correlation is spurious.
What is the difference between finding correlation and finding causation?
Science wants to uncover causal mechanisms. Facts do not always speak for themselves
What is theory?
A body of statements that systematizes knowledge and explains relations between phenomena. Can be generated by induction or deduction.
What is induction?
Drawing general conclusions from specific observations and examples.
What is deduction?
Drawing conclusions based on on general principles and assumptions
What is non-normativity?
Scientific knowledge is value free, addresses what is, what might be in the future, and why, but does not concern itself if something is good or bad.
What are normativity?
Statements about what ought to be, which are outside the purview of science. They may rely on science and follow the rules of logic, but they are not science
How do we know that theories haven’t been contaminated by scientists with human flaws?
The credibility of the scientific method is ensured by data access (data made public), production transparency, analytic transparency, peer review, incentivized institutional skepticism, freedom of academic inquiry, tenure, and a celebration of novelty
What is transmissibility?
Anybody who follows the same procedures should get the same results
What is cumulativity?
Substantive findings and research methods should build upon prior research and findings
What is generality?
Knowledge that explains classes of events is more valuable than knowledge that explains a specific one
Why do constructivists not like generality?
They argue it is a totalizing imperial approach
What is parsimony?
The same principle as Occum’s Razor, the simplest explanation tends to be true.
What is rationality?
The ability to use knowledge to attain goals, knowledge is justified true belief, and beliefs must be held in pursuit of a goal
What are the axioms of rational choice?
Completeness, transitivity (if a>b, and b>c, then a>c)
What is the Bayes Rule?
You have to update probability and beliefs due to new evidence