WEEK 2.1

Question 1

theory

Answer 1

• set of general claims about some domain of phenomena
• e.g. Darwin’s theory of evolution

Question 2

What are the aims of science?

Answer 2

describe, predict and explain the world

Question 3

theory vs. hypothesis

Answer 3

hypotheses seen as more tentative

Question 4

what do theories consist of/ are associated with?

Answer 4

1. laws
2. principles
3. (statistical regularities)
4. models
5. axioms
6. invariances
7. symmetries

Question 5

a theory is useless unless accompanied by…

Answer 5

condition of application aka auxilliary assumptions (e.g. market in perfect complication)

Question 6

conditions of application

Answer 6

initial, boundary, idealising conditions

Question 7

in natural sciences, more mature theories are likely to be…

Answer 7

mathematically formulated

Question 8

why is math important?

Answer 8

allows us to formulate more precise (and therefore more refutable) claims

Question 9

observation

Answer 9

• all forms of sensing
• can be extended by instruments
• e.g. looking at cell through microscope

Question 10

direct observation

Answer 10

observations that track the targeted object

Question 11

indirect observation

Answer 11

observe something else that allows us to infer existence/properties of target object

Question 12

what can observations help with?

Answer 12

• construction and alteration of theories
• ultimate arbiter of disagreement between theories

Question 13

relationship between observations theories?

Answer 13

• theories contain more content because to generalise is to go beyond particular observations
• theories also go beyond what is directly observable/observable at all/only indirectly observable

Question 14

theory-ladenness of observations

Answer 14

‘theoretical’ (but not always) factors influence and potentially distort:

• perceptions
• perceptual belief
• oberservation reports

Question 15

examples of factors in theory-ladenness

Answer 15

1. sensory physiology
2. linguistic choices
3. conceptual schemes
4. prior beliefs
5. theories
6. environmental cues

Question 16

what is the problem with theory-ladenness?

Answer 16

if individuals sponsoring rival hypotheses perceive/report the world in a genuinely rival manner, then those perceptions/reports cannot be neutral adjudicators between said hypotheses