| 1. |
- Needham, Paul
(författare)
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Duhem’s physicalism
- 1998
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 29:1, s. 33-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Duhem is often described as an anti-realist or instrumentalist. A contrary view has recently been expressed by Martin (1991) (Pierre Duhem: Philosophy and History in the Work of a Believing Physicist (La Salle, IL: Open Court)), who suggests that this interpretation makes it difficult to understand the vantage point from which Duhem argues in La science allemande (1915) that deduction, however impeccable, cannot establish truths unless it begins with truths. In the same spirit, the present paper seeks to establish that Duhem is at any rate not the kind of anti-realist he is often presented as being, and that his views are like those Quine sees fit to call realist. An interpretation of Duhem’s views on explanation and precision in science, and their bearing on the epistemological status of theory, is advanced which leads naturally into his critique of conventionalism. His attitude towards atomism, which should not be judged from a post-1925 perspective, is considered part of the unified view he strove after and appropriately called Duhem’s physicalism, standing in contrast to the kind of reductionist conception usually associated with atomism.
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| 2. |
- Allzén, Simon
(författare)
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Scientific realism and empirical confirmation : A puzzle
- 2021
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 90, s. 153-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Scientific realism driven by inference to the best explanation (IBE) takes empirically confirmed objects to exist, independent, pace empiricism, of whether those objects are observable or not. This kind of realism, it has been claimed, does not need probabilistic reasoning to justify the claim that these objects exist. But I show that there are scientific contexts in which a non-probabilistic IBE-driven realism leads to a puzzle. Since IBE can be applied in scientific contexts in which empirical confirmation has not yet been reached, realists will in these contexts be committed to the existence of empirically unconfirmed objects. As a consequence of such commitments, because they lack probabilistic features, the possible empirical confirmation of those objects is epistemically redundant with respect to realism.
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| 3. |
- Bruno, Karl
(författare)
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Disciplining Cattle Reproduction : Veterinary Reproductive Science, Bull Infertility, and the Mid-Twentieth Century Transformation of Swedish Dairy Cattle Breeding
- 2020
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 84, s. 106-118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- From the 1940s, reproductive physiology and livestock genetics transformed dairy cattle breeding and became, in conjunction with the new reproductive technology of artificial insemination, important drivers of agricultural modernization in most countries with significant dairying. While this is well known, we know less about the longer-term interplay between specifically veterinary interests in reproduction and the institutional development of cattle breeding. In the present paper, I therefore examine the veterinary disciplining of cattle reproduction—its constitution as a veterinary scientific discipline and the extension of veterinary control over it—in mid-twentieth century Sweden. I show how veterinary scientists derived legitimacy for their fledgling discipline by engaging with the problems of practical breeding, and that in doing so they also exercised influence over breeding’s development. By making bulls’ reproductive disturbances visible and framing them as hereditary, they undermined the conservative interests of commercial breeders. The development of veterinary reproductive science thereby played an important role in reshaping the culture, economy, and regulations of cattle breeding in Sweden as it shifted from a prewar regime dominated by elite breeders to a postwar regime that, ostensibly, served all dairy farmers in the country.
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| 4. |
- Callergård, Robert, 1966-
(författare)
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Thomas Reid's Newtonian Theism : his differences with the classical arguments of Richard Bentley and William Whiston
- 2010
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 41:2, s. 109-119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reid was a Newtonian and a Theist, but did he found his Theism on Newton’s physics? In opposition to commonplace assumptions about the role of Theism in Reid’s philosophy, my answer is no. Reid prefers to found his Theism on a priori reasons, rather than on physics. Reid’s understanding of physics as an empirical science stops it from contributing in any clear and efficient way to issues of natural theology. In addition, Reid is highly sceptical of our ability to discover the efficient and final causes of natural phenomena, knowledge of which is essential for natural theology. To bring out Reid’s differences with classical Newtonian Theists Richard Bentley and William Whiston, I examine their use of the law and force of general gravitation, and reconstruct what would be Reidian objections.
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| 5. |
- Dawid, Richard
(författare)
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Meta-empirical confirmation : Addressing three points of criticism
- 2022
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 93, s. 66-71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- I respond to three points of criticism that have been raised against the concept of meta-empirical confirmation. I argue that meta-empirical confirmation can be set up in a coherent way and is sufficiently discriminating for rendering it a non-trivial indicator of a theory's viability. Moreover, I argue that acknowledging the significance of meta-empirical confirmation provides an argument for the pursuit of alternative research programs rather than for their suppression.
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| 6. |
- Dawid, Richard
(författare)
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The role of meta-empirical theory assessment in the acceptance of atomism
- 2021
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 90, s. 50-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The universal acceptance of atomism in physics and chemistry in the early 20th century went along with an altered view on the epistemic status of microphysical conjectures. Contrary to the prevalent understanding during the 19th century, on the new view unobservable objects could be 'discovered'. It is argued in the present paper that this shift can be connected to the implicit integration of elements of meta-empirical theory assessment into the concept of theory confirmation.
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| 7. |
- Grüne-Yanoff, Till, et al.
(författare)
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Introduction : Interdisciplinary model exchanges
- 2014
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 48, s. 52-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 8. |
- Grüne-Yanoff, Till
(författare)
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Models as Products of Interdisciplinary Exchange: Evidence from Evolutionary Game Theory
- 2011
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 42:2, s. 386-397
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of evolutionary game theory (EGT) is closely linked with two interdisciplinary exchanges: the import of game theory into biology, and the import of biologists' version of game theory into economics. This paper traces the history of these two import episodes. In each case the investigation covers what exactly was imported, what the motives for the import were, how the imported elements were put to use, and how they related to existing practices in the respective disciplines. Two conclusions emerged from this study. First, concepts derived from the unity of science discussion or the unification accounts of explanation are too strong and too narrow to be useful for analysing these interdisciplinary exchanges. Secondly, biology and economics at least in relation to EGT show significant differences in modelling practices: biologists seek to link EGT models to concrete empirical situations, whereas economists pursue conceptual exploration and possible explanation.
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| 9. |
- Hansson, Sven Ove
(författare)
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Defining Technical Function
- 2006
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 37, s. 19-22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 10. |
- Hansson, Sven Ove
(författare)
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Science denial as a form of pseudoscience
- 2017
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Ingår i: Studies in history and philosophy of science. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 0039-3681 .- 1879-2510. ; 63, s. 39-47
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Science denialism poses a serious threat to human health and the long-term sustainability of human civilization. Although it has recently been rather extensively discussed, this discussion has rarely been connected to the extensive literature on pseudoscience and the science-pseudoscience demarcation. This contribution argues that science denialism should be seen as one of the two major forms of pseudoscience, alongside of pseudotheory promotion. A detailed comparison is made between three prominent forms of science denialism, namely relativity theory denialism, evolution denialism, and climate science denialism. Several characteristics are identified that distinguish science denialism from other forms of pseudoscience, in particular its persistent fabrication of fake controversies, the extraordinary male dominance among its activists, and its strong connection with various forms of right-wing politics. It is argued that the scientific response to science denialism has to be conceived with these characteristics in mind. In particular, it is important to expose the fabricated fake controversies for what they are and to reveal how science denialists consistently use deviant criteria of assent to distort the scientific process.
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