Kuhn Popper Etc

Question 1

Plato

Answer 1

• knowledge has to be purely deductive

- rationalist view

Question 2

Aristotle

Answer 2

-distinction between deduction and induction

-

Question 3

Bacon

Answer 3

• empiricist
• inductive method
• knowledge should be based on observation
• experimental histories: actively manipulating elements of situation to see what effect it has

Question 4

Logical positivism

Answer 4

• Vienna circle: beginning
• Popper was a scholar
• try to understand essence of scientific approach
• verification principle

Question 5

Popper

Answer 5

• accepted importance of theories in scientific thinking
• compared Physics with Psychoanalysis
• Physics: made sure no error had been overlooked
• Psychoanalysis: gather observation in favor of view
• hypothetical-deductive method: induction and deduction
• > formulate testable hypotheses that would falsify your theory
• sophisticated falsificationism

Question 6

Kuhn

Answer 6

• theory comes before observation
• pre science: try to understand isolated facts without having an idea of wider framework
• > normal science: researchers share a paradigm, attempts to falsify theory, puzzle solving
• > crisis: anomalies, unexplained observations, increased use of ad hoc modifications, changes to theory that other researchers do not find interesting enough, more open to alternatives
• > revolution: replacements of a paradigm by new paradigm, scientific excitement
• > normal new science
• > Crisis..
• observation and interpretation depends on conceptions and language of the time
• > paradigms are ever changing

Question 7

Popper - sophisticated falsificationism

Answer 7

• often better to change existing, good theory that it is no longer contradicted by the available empirical evidence
• BUT: modification must under no condition make a theory less falsifiable (otherwise it’s ad hoc modification)