lecture 2

Question 1

what is the commonsense view of science?

Answer 1

it is based on facts

Question 2

what are two scientific activities in the commonsense view?

Answer 2

formulating theories and doing observations

Question 3

what is the relation between a theory and an observation?

Answer 3

theories explain and predict observations, Observations test theories and help decide between theories

Question 4

what are 3 assumptions in the commonsense view?

Answer 4

1. facts are directly given to careful, unprejudiced observers via sense
2. facts are prior to and independent of theories
3. facts constitute a firm and reliable foundation for scientific knowledge

Question 5

what are 3 problems

Answer 5

1. observantions as subjective, passive, private, fallible
2. theory-laden observation
3. facts dont contribute a reliable test for theories

Question 6

what does observation as subjective mean? and why is this is problem for the commonsense view?

Answer 6

what you see isnt the same thing as i see when we look at the same thing, the observation statements from different people may differ for example the Schroeder stairs

Question 7

what does theory-laden observation mean? and why is this a problem for the commonsense view?

Answer 7

if you want to test a theory by looking at the facts, it is not good of the theory determines the facts. the problem is is that our experience depend on theories we already hold. the second problem is that we dont know what facts to look for, unless we have a theory

Question 8

what was the commensense view theory?

Answer 8

the truth of a fact can be straightforwardly established by observations. so a good theory of science needs to allow that sometimes observations are fallible, because of the theory of technology.

Question 9

what do we try to make in scientific observations? and why?

Answer 9

practical interventions, this is to make observations more objective

Question 10

what is a practical intervention?

Answer 10

to errange the observation in such a way that observation statement doesnt rely on subjective/cultural/perspectival influence.

Question 11

what are 3 characteristics that make an observation good?

Answer 11

1. consistency (do it the same way every time)
2. repeatability (someone else can do it too)
3. compatibility with a good theory (bad theory leads to a bad observation)

Question 12

what does straightforwardly mean?

Answer 12

routine, objective procedures

Question 13

what are experiments?

Answer 13

practical interventions that isolate the process under investigation by elimination other influences.

Question 14

what are 3 ways that an experimental results can be fallible?

Answer 14

1. experiments can be outmoded by technology
2. experiments can be rejected because of advancing understandings, which show the experimental set-up is inadequete
3. experiments can become irrelevant because of advancing theories

Question 15

why are experiments difficult?

Answer 15

to adequetely eliminate spurious influences, a lot needs to be known about those influences and how to eliminate them

Question 16

what are 4 reasons that experiments may become irrelevant/rejected/inadequate?

Answer 16

1. The experimental setup does not succeed in isolating the process under investigation: interference
2. The experiment uses measurement methods that are insensitive/unreliable.
3. The experiment becomes understood to be unable to solve the question at hand
4. Theoretical advances: the question becomes discredited

Question 17

what is the meaning of circularity looms?

Answer 17

if theories inform experiments, and the experiments are suppose to test the theories, then how does this loop work?