09.Lakatos Laudan Feyerabendfaculty.poly.edu › ~jbain › philsci › lectures ›...
Transcript of 09.Lakatos Laudan Feyerabendfaculty.poly.edu › ~jbain › philsci › lectures ›...
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09.AfterKuhn:Lakatos,Laudan,Feyerabend
• CriticismofKuhn:Scienceisrational,not"mobpsychology"!- AimofPhilosophyofScience:Toproduce"rationalreconstructions"ofhistoricalepisodestomakescientists'decisionsasrationalaspossible(withfootnotesindicatingwhatactually occurred).
1.LakatosandResearchPrograms2.LaudanandResearchTraditions3.FeyerabendandAnythingGoes
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1.LakatosandResearchPrograms
ImreLakatos(1922-1974)
Whig history?
• Insteadofparadigms:
Researchprogram:(i) Typicallymorethanoneatanytimeinagivenfield.(ii) And:Theycompetewithoneanother.
Harumph! One paradigm per field, and competition only during revolutionary science!
Science left in the hands of implicit shared values can be trusted!
No! Science needs the guidance of methodological rules!
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Core = essential basic ideas
Protective belt = auxiliary hypotheses used to apply core to descriptions of phenomena
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Theory = core plus protective beltResearch program = sequence of theories with same core
Ex.1:NewtonianresearchprogramCore:ThreeLawsofMotionandLawofGravity.Protectivebelt:- Claimsaboutnatureofmatter.- Claimsaboutstructureofuniverse.- Mathtechniquesusedtoderivepredictionsfromcore.
Preserved over time.
Changed over time.
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Core = essential basic ideas
Protective belt = auxiliary hypotheses used to apply core to descriptions of phenomena
Ex.2:DarwinianresearchprogramCore:Organismsevolvebydescentthroughmodificationvia naturalselection(andothercauses).
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Preserved over time.
Changed over time.
Theory = core plus protective beltResearch program = sequence of theories with same core
Protectivebelt:- Claimsaboutrelationsbetweenspecies.- Claimsaboutmechanismsunderlyinginheritance.- Claimsaboutdistributionoforganisms.- Claimsaboutother(non-adaptive)causesofevolution.
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Twotypesofchange(a) Withinaresearchprogram.(b) Betweenresearchprograms.
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Progressiveprogram:- Increasingnovel predictivepowerandapplicationtonewcases.
- Successataddressinganomaliesandfendingoffrefutations.
Degeneratingprogram:- Nonovelpredictions,just"savingthephenomena".
- Fallingbehindorjustkeepingupwithattemptstoaddressanomalies.
(a)Changewithinaresearchprogram
Rule1:Changeshouldonlybemadetoaprotectivebelt.Rule2:Changetoaprotectivebeltshouldbeprogressive.
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Progressiveprogram:Copernican(heliostatic)system- Accountedforallknownphenomena.- Novelprediction:Venusdisplaysbothcrescentandgibbousphases.
Degeneratingprogram:Ptolemaic(geostatic)system- Accountedforallknownphenomena.- CanonlyaccountforcrescentphasesofVenus,orgibbousphases,butnotboth!
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Concern:Needa"Rule3"ifyou'reconcernedthatKuhn'saccountisn'trational(i.e.,whatrulegovernschangeacrossparadigmshifts).
(b)Changebetweenresearchprograms- Whatgovernschangeatthislevel("Rule3")?- Whenisarationalscientistjustifiedingivingupadegeneratingresearchprogram?
Tychonic(geostatic)system- Accountedforallknownphenomena,includingbothcrescentandgibbousphasesofVenus!
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2.LaudanandResearchTraditions
Larry Laudan
(a) Insteadofresearchprograms:
Researchtradition:moreflexible...(i) Therecanbemovementofideasinandoutofthecore.(ii) Theoriesaremorelooselyrelated.(iii) Latertheoriescancoverlessgroundthanearlierones.(iv) Theoriescanbreakawayfromonetraditionandbe
absorbedintoanother.
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Progress and its Problems(1978)
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Ex.Carnot's(1824)theoryofheatengines• Idea:Treatheatinanalogywithwaterasasubstance("caloric")thatproducesmechanicaleffect(work)whenit"falls"fromahotplacetoacoldplace.
coldplace
heatengine
hotplace
⇓ heatin
⇓ heatout⇒ workout
SadiCarnot1796-1832
• Originallyapartofthecaloricresearchtradition.- Core:heatisafluidsubstance.
• Latergetsabsorbedintothekineticresearchtradition.- Core:heatconsistsofthemotionofparticles.
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(b) Twoattitudestowardstheories:
- Acceptance.Toaccept atheoryistotreatitasifitweretrue.- Pursuit.Topursue atheoryistoworkwithitwithoutnecessarilyacceptingit.
Claim:Itisrationaltoboth(i) pursue aresearchtraditionthathasthehighestcurrentrateof
progressinproblem-solving;and(ii) accept thosetheoriesthathavethegreatestproblem-solvingpower.
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• Allowsarationalscientisttoaccepttheideasinamainstreamresearchtradition,butworkonamoremarginaltraditionthathasahigherrateofprogress.
"Scientists tend to begin to pursue and to explore a new research tradition long before its problem-solving success qualifies it to be accepted over its older, more successful rivals."
• Whatistheoptimaldistributionofscientistsacrossarangeofresearchtraditions?- Allworkingonprogressivetraditions?- Somedistributionacrossbothprogressiveanddegeneratetraditions?(Hedgingbets?)
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3.FeyerabendandAnythingGoes
PaulFeyerabend(1924-1994)
Against Method(1975)
• Epistemologicalanarchism:Oppositiontoallsystemsofrulesandconstraintsinscience.
• MotivationfromPopper:Scienceisanaspectofhumancreativity.- Essentialtoallintellectualwork(includingscience):Thefreedevelopmentofcreativityandimagination.
- Anyattempttoestablishrulesofmethodwillresultonlyinastraightjacketingofcreativity.
Harumph! Not during episodes of normal science!
Harumph! Science *is* governed by a rational methodology!
- Are there rational rules for creativity?- Can you be taught to be innovative?
"Anything Goes"!
- Theonlyruleis:
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• MotivationfromMill:- Onindividualliberty.- Geniusesareonlyproducedinanatmosphereoffreedom.
• Feyerabend'sMorale
"It is advisable to let one's inclinations go against reason in any circumstances, for science may profit from it."
- Ex:GalileomarvelingatCopernicanswhoflountestablishedAristotelianworldview
"...through sheer force of intellect [they have] done such violence to their own senses as to prefer what reason told them over that which sensible experience plainly showed them to be the contrary."
GalileoGalilei(1564-1642)
JohnStuartMill(1806-1873)
"By it there are as many possible independent centers of improvement as there are individuals."
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• MotivationfromMill:- Onindividualliberty.- Geniusesareonlyproducedinanatmosphereoffreedom.
• Feyerabend'sMorale
"It is advisable to let one's inclinations go against reason in any circumstances, for science may profit from it."
JohnStuartMill(1806-1873)
"By it there are as many possible independent centers of improvement as there are individuals."
• Concern:Whataboutamechanismfortheelimination ofideas?- "Whatdowedowhenthebridgehastobebuilt?"(Godfrey-Smith)- Claim:Imaginationandcreativityareoneside,butnottheonlyside,ofscience.