Scientific Realism & Instrumentalism
There exist mind-independent world in which we all inhabit, except for those things that are causally affected by minds, like symbols, thoughts, theories, etc.
What is common-sense realism?
The study of basic epistemological concepts, such as reason, evidence, justification, truth, and so on through a feminist lens. This usually assumes that such concepts in western society are implicitly sexist.
What is feminist epistemology?
In the narrow sense, this is a striking achievement or experiment, like Newton's Laws of Motion. In the broad sense, it is a shared methodology, shared standards, and shared ontology.
What is a paradigm?
the thesis that there should not be any guiding principles or constraints on scientific methodology, justification, and scientific beliefs/processes. This results in constraining creativity and scientific progress.
What is epistemological anarchism?
The problem of allocating scientific resources in the best way in order to achieve the goals of the scientific community.
What is the problem of the division of scientific labor?
All statements about nature or an external can be re-translated as staments about actual or possible perseceptions and sensations.
What is phenomenalism?
What is the context of discovery and the context of justification?
The probability of an event independent of any other information.
What is the unconditional probability?
The field in which it is assumed that scientific work is a result of human choices and societal (socio-economic-political) interests.
What is the sociology of science?
That the internal culture of science is unfriendly toward women-- its current reward system (whether based on prestige, use, or recognition) favors aggressive, stubborn personalities, which are typically manly temperaments.
What is a feminist critique of the results (the subsequent internal culture) of an individualistic reward system of science?
One actual and reasonable aim of science is to describe and represent what the world and reality are like (as defined by common-sense realism naturalize).
What is scientific realism, particularly Godfrey-Smith's scientific realism?
When the available theories are underdetermined by the evidence; there is usally no single theory that the evidence will point to as indicating that that theory is the one that best accounts for the evidence. In principle there are an infinite amount of theories that are compatible with the evidence.
What is the underdetermination problem?
The degree of belief an agent has toward the truth of a proposition. Measures degree of confidence/belief. And the probability of event with respect to aspects or features of the event itself (e.g., probability that a fair coin lands on heads). This probability is property of the event and its relation to the world at that time/location.
What are subjective and objective probabilities?
Robert Merton, Bruno Latour, and Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer
Who are some sociologists of science?
The reward system of science based on prestige, recognition, use, et al, result in free-riding, that is individuals choosing the most promising research program because of the reward benefits them only--they would have been more productive (for the scientific community) had they joined the alternative program.
What is a critique of individualistic, reward-based, theories of the division of scientific labor? What is Strevens' critique of Kitcher's theory of the division of scientific labor.
(BRIEF COMMENT ON NORMATIVE & DESCRIPTIVE)
Scientific theories are useful tools for navigating the world. They help predict and understand nature insofar as it is useful or we find that it serves some practical purpose (like survival).
What is instrumentalism?
Evelyn Fox Keller, Helen Longino, and Miriam Solomon.
What are some feminist philosophers?
A _______ is a puzzle that has resisted solution to the current paradigm. Eventually, it may cause a ______. The precession of Mercury's Perihelion is an example.
What is an anamoly and what is a crisis (or crisis science)?
______ believes in a research programs that consist in a hard core and a protective belt. _____ believes in research traditions that are loosely connected, but depend on the same foundational assumptions.
Who are Imre Lakatos and Larry Laudan?
For Solomon, these are motivational, social, cognitive, ideological, etc. factors that influence the outcome (direction) of a decision. The experimental, or predictive success of a theory is an ex of one; The fact that a theory was proposed by woman of color is an ex of another.
What are decision vectors, and what are examples of empirical and non empirical decision vectors?
Suspension judgment, acceptance, belief, rejection
epistemic attitudes
The problem of distinguishing science (like physics) from pseudo-science (like astrology).
What is the demarcation problem?
The probability of a hypothesis, given some, is the probability of e given h, times h, divided by e. Formally, P(h|e) = P (e|h) * P(h) / P (e).
What is Bayes' Theorem?
A set of concepts on which the program depends. The program may be said to be identified in a very basic sense with this hard core, since it is essential to the program. (Newton's Laws of Motion)
A set of neighboring concepts, usually possible consequences of the hard core. These less basic concepts connect the hard core to the phenomena. They are the concepts/rules for application of the core to the phenomena. (Newton's notion of matter)
What are Lakatos' hard core and protective belt?
Solomon thinks that ____ and ____ are intimately related and needed in order best allocate and distribute resources to different, rivaling research programs
What are dissent and (epistemic) diversity?