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Single Idea 13940
[filed under theme 14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 3. Instrumentalism
]
Full Idea
The acceptance or rejection of abstract (or any other) linguistic forms in any branch of science will finally be decided by their efficiency as instruments.
Gist of Idea
All linguistic forms in science are merely judged by their efficiency as instruments
Source
Rudolph Carnap (Empiricism, Semantics and Ontology [1950], 5)
Book Ref
Carnap,Rudolph: 'Meaning and Necessity (2nd ed)' [Chicago 1988], p.221
The
14 ideas
with the same theme
[scientific truth is just what works in our theories]:
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18982
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Pragmatism says all theories are instrumental - that is, mental modes of adaptation to reality
[James]
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18985
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True thoughts are just valuable instruments of action
[James]
|
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7621
|
Special relativity, unlike general relativity, was operationalist in spirit
[Putnam on Einstein]
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13940
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All linguistic forms in science are merely judged by their efficiency as instruments
[Carnap]
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17665
|
The 'Tractatus' is instrumentalist about laws of nature
[Wittgenstein, by Armstrong]
|
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17658
|
Users of digital thermometers recognise no temperatures in the gaps
[Goodman]
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4713
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For Quine, theories are instruments used to make predictions about observations
[Quine, by O'Grady]
|
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13067
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For the instrumentalists there are no scientific explanations
[Salmon]
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14204
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Naïve operationalism would have meanings change every time the tests change
[Putnam]
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16057
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Instrumentalism normally says some discourse is useful, but not genuinely true
[Horgan,T]
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17704
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Operationalism defines concepts by our ways of measuring them
[Mares]
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6778
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Instrumentalists regard theories as tools for prediction, with truth being irrelevant
[Bird]
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22196
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For most scientists their concepts are not just useful, but are meant to be true and accurate
[Gorham]
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22197
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Theories aren't just for organising present experience if they concern the past or future
[Gorham]
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