Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Novalis, C.B. Martin and Richard Jeffrey

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3 ideas

14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory
General statements about nature are not valid [Novalis]
     Full Idea: General statements are not valid in the study of nature.
     From: Novalis (Last Fragments [1800], 17)
     A reaction: This is his striking obsession with the particularity and fine detail of nature. Alexander von Humbolt was exploring nature in S.America in this year. It sounds wrong about physics, but possibly right about biology.
14. Science / C. Induction / 6. Bayes's Theorem
Instead of gambling, Jeffrey made the objects of Bayesian preference to be propositions [Jeffrey, by Davidson]
     Full Idea: Jeffrey produced a version of Bayesianism that made no direct use of gambling (as Ramsey had), but treats the objects of preference ...as propositions.
     From: report of Richard Jeffrey (The Logic of Decision [1965]) by Donald Davidson - Truth and Predication 3
     A reaction: I'm guessing that Jeffreys launched modern Bayesian theory with this idea. It suggest that one can consider degrees of truth, rather than mere winning or losing.
14. Science / D. Explanation / 4. Explanation Doubts / a. Explanation as pragmatic
Explanations are mind-dependent, theory-laden, and interest-relative [Martin,CB]
     Full Idea: Explanations are mind-dependent, theory-laden, and interest-relative.
     From: C.B. Martin (The Mind in Nature [2008], 10.2)
     A reaction: I don't think you can rule out the 'real' explanation, as the one dominant causal predecessor, such as the earthquake producing a tsunami.