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Single Idea 17503

[filed under theme 14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory ]

Full Idea

Cartwright objects that the claim that theories represent what happens in actual situations is to overlook that the concepts used in them (such as 'force functions' and 'Hamiltonians') are abstract.

Gist of Idea

Theories can never represent accurately, because their components are abstract

Source

report of Nancy Cartwright (The Dappled World [1999]) by Demetris Portides - Models 'Current'

Book Ref

'Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science', ed/tr. Psillos,S/Curd,M [Routledge 2010], p.393

A Reaction

I'm not convinced by this. The term 'abstract' is too loose. In a sense most words are abstract because they are universals. If I say 'that's a cat', that is a very accurate remark, despite the generality of 'cat'.

The 18 ideas from Nancy Cartwright

17503 Theories can never represent accurately, because their components are abstract [Cartwright,N, by Portides]
6781 There are fundamental explanatory laws (false!), and phenomenological laws (regularities) [Cartwright,N, by Bird]
16166 Laws of appearances are 'phenomenological'; laws of reality are 'theoretical' [Cartwright,N]
16170 To get from facts to equations, we need a prepared descriptions suited to mathematics [Cartwright,N]
16171 The covering law view assumes that each phenomenon has a 'right' explanation [Cartwright,N]
16167 Laws get the facts wrong, and explanation rests on improvements and qualifications of laws [Cartwright,N]
16169 Laws apply to separate domains, but real explanations apply to intersecting domains [Cartwright,N]
16175 A cause won't increase the effect frequency if other causes keep interfering [Cartwright,N]
16176 Covering-law explanation lets us explain storms by falling barometers [Cartwright,N]
16177 I disagree with the covering-law view that there is a law to cover every single case [Cartwright,N]
16178 There are few laws for when one theory meets another [Cartwright,N]
16179 Good organisation may not be true, and the truth may not organise very much [Cartwright,N]
16180 You can't explain one quail's behaviour by just saying that all quails do it [Cartwright,N]
16181 Simple laws have quite different outcomes when they act in combinations [Cartwright,N]
16182 Two main types of explanation are by causes, or by citing a theoretical framework [Cartwright,N]
16183 In science, best explanations have regularly turned out to be false [Cartwright,N]
16184 An explanation is a model that fits a theory and predicts the phenomenological laws [Cartwright,N]
16185 Causality indicates which properties are real [Cartwright,N]