Lecture 4 Flashcards
What did Thomas Kuhn argue?
That science does not proceed through a linear line of knowledge but rather through a series of paradigm shifts.
Explain the underdetermination concept
Underdetermination is when there are multiple hyp for a set of evidence.
Give an example of the underdetermination concept
“The relationship between video games and gun violence” -> could have the following hyp
1) Playing video games causes people to become more violent
2) People who are already violent are more prone to play violent video games
What are the three levels in scientific crises and revolutions?
Anomalies: observations that conflict with accepted theories
Crisis: changing paradigms
Revolution: earth is center -> sun is center
What is theory ladeness?
Our observations depend on theoretical assumptions
Give an example of theory ladeness
1) One with knowledge in meteorology sees the cloud formation and thinks it’s gonna rain
2) Another might look at the same clouds and sees a shape of animals
What is value ladeness?
Is when values (things we believe are good/bad) influence the interpretation of theories
Give an example of value ladeness
People tend to think that sperm is active and the egg is passive, while actually they are both equally active.
Objectivity in science is guaranteed by the shared commitments of scientists, transparency and intersubjectivity. -> Who argued this?
Thomas Kuhn
According to Thomas Kuhn science is a puzzle-solving communal enterprise -> what are the common agreements?
1) Shared aims
2) Shared values (what’s good and bad, ex. animal testing)
3) Agreement to norms (rules that we agreed on)
What is a scientific paradigm? And what does ‘shared acceptance’ mean according to Thomas Kuhn?
It’s a way of doing science. This is acceptance between theories, aims, and values.
