Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Rationality of Science', 'Abstract Entities' and 'Purple Haze'

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24 ideas

1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 1. Aims of Science
3859 We do not wish merely to predict, we also want to explain [Newton-Smith]
3870 The real problem of science is how to choose between possible explanations [Newton-Smith]
3853 For science to be rational, we must explain scientific change rationally [Newton-Smith]
1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 2. Positivism
3855 Critics attack positivist division between theory and observation [Newton-Smith]
3854 Positivists hold that theoretical terms change, but observation terms don't [Newton-Smith]
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 6. Verisimilitude
3869 More truthful theories have greater predictive power [Newton-Smith]
3861 Theories generate infinite truths and falsehoods, so they cannot be used to assess probability [Newton-Smith]
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 4. Abstract Existence
14592 Some abstract things have a beginning and end, so may exist in time (though not space) [Swoyer]
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 1. Ontologies
14594 Ontologists seek existence and identity conditions, and modal and epistemic status for a thing [Swoyer]
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 1. Nature of Properties
14595 Can properties exemplify other properties? [Swoyer]
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Simples
14593 Quantum field theory suggests that there are, fundamentally, no individual things [Swoyer]
10. Modality / C. Sources of Modality / 1. Sources of Necessity
3867 De re necessity arises from the way the world is [Newton-Smith]
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / a. Beliefs
3872 We must assess the truth of beliefs in identifying them [Newton-Smith]
13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 6. Relativism Critique
3857 Defeat relativism by emphasising truth and reference, not meaning [Newton-Smith]
14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 1. Observation
3858 A full understanding of 'yellow' involves some theory [Newton-Smith]
14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 5. Anomalies
3862 All theories contain anomalies, and so are falsified! [Newton-Smith]
3863 The anomaly of Uranus didn't destroy Newton's mechanics - it led to Neptune's discovery [Newton-Smith]
3864 Anomalies are judged against rival theories, and support for the current theory [Newton-Smith]
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory
3865 Why should it matter whether or not a theory is scientific? [Newton-Smith]
14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 5. Commensurability
3866 If theories are really incommensurable, we could believe them all [Newton-Smith]
17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 7. Anti-Physicalism / d. Explanatory gap
7876 Even if we identify pain with neural events, we can't explain why those neurons cause that feeling [Levine, by Papineau]
7877 Only phenomenal states have an explanatory gap; water is fully explained by H2O [Levine, by Papineau]
7878 Materialism won't explain phenomenal properties, because the latter aren't seen in causal roles [Papineau on Levine]
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / c. Reasons as causes
3871 Explaining an action is showing that it is rational [Newton-Smith]