Academic Skills | Week 6 | Chapter 9 | 10.10
Imre Lakatos
- With popper, must accept that science is not all about proven knowledge
(newton was wrong)
Sophisticated faslificationism. We cant prove theory but can disprove and if new theory how
can we prove it was better
- Dogmatic/naturalistic falsificationism
Science advances by overthrowing theories with hard facts
Problems: assumption we can distinguish between theoretical statements and factual
(all observation is theory-laden)
Theories are saved with further explanation in relation to anomalies
- Methodological falsification
- Conservative conventionalism: unproblematic background knowledge on
which the theory is built on
- Problems: if the hypothesis is falsified what is disproven?
- Is my theory wrong or my method?
- Sophisticated falsificationism
Falsification is only useful if we can offer another theory (Kuhn: another paradigm)
Better theory
- It can predict more facts
- Explains everything explained by old theory
- Some facts predicted new theory corroborates
- Can only tell if series of theories increase our ability to make more accurate pre
dictionary
- Series of theories characterised by a degree of high continuity
Should stick to hrad core theories if no better alternatives
=> to many auxiliary hypotheses it becomes degenerative
Small modifications make it progressive (applies to more)
Paul Feyerabend p.309/375
Scientific method is not only way of acquiring knowledge
- Science cannot claim to be about objective facts (all observation is theory-laden)
- tHE FACTS THAT ENTER OUR knowledge have already been processed in a
certain way and are often studied in isolated bits and out of context
Science is only way of looking at the world
What we understand is reduced to what we can observe
Researchers should have complete freedom => may miss a lot of facts theory can be used
as a searchlight
PLURALISTIC methodology
No norms or demands may restrict the search for knowledge, no single method method must
be imposed in students, variety of opinions must be cherished as a humanitarian ideal
Against relativism: Alan Sokal
- Not all facts are constructed by scientists or allow for a variety of interpretations
- There are objective facts
Theories should refer to reality that cannot see but are used to explain a phenomenon
Imre Lakatos
- With popper, must accept that science is not all about proven knowledge
(newton was wrong)
Sophisticated faslificationism. We cant prove theory but can disprove and if new theory how
can we prove it was better
- Dogmatic/naturalistic falsificationism
Science advances by overthrowing theories with hard facts
Problems: assumption we can distinguish between theoretical statements and factual
(all observation is theory-laden)
Theories are saved with further explanation in relation to anomalies
- Methodological falsification
- Conservative conventionalism: unproblematic background knowledge on
which the theory is built on
- Problems: if the hypothesis is falsified what is disproven?
- Is my theory wrong or my method?
- Sophisticated falsificationism
Falsification is only useful if we can offer another theory (Kuhn: another paradigm)
Better theory
- It can predict more facts
- Explains everything explained by old theory
- Some facts predicted new theory corroborates
- Can only tell if series of theories increase our ability to make more accurate pre
dictionary
- Series of theories characterised by a degree of high continuity
Should stick to hrad core theories if no better alternatives
=> to many auxiliary hypotheses it becomes degenerative
Small modifications make it progressive (applies to more)
Paul Feyerabend p.309/375
Scientific method is not only way of acquiring knowledge
- Science cannot claim to be about objective facts (all observation is theory-laden)
- tHE FACTS THAT ENTER OUR knowledge have already been processed in a
certain way and are often studied in isolated bits and out of context
Science is only way of looking at the world
What we understand is reduced to what we can observe
Researchers should have complete freedom => may miss a lot of facts theory can be used
as a searchlight
PLURALISTIC methodology
No norms or demands may restrict the search for knowledge, no single method method must
be imposed in students, variety of opinions must be cherished as a humanitarian ideal
Against relativism: Alan Sokal
- Not all facts are constructed by scientists or allow for a variety of interpretations
- There are objective facts
Theories should refer to reality that cannot see but are used to explain a phenomenon
