Questions tagged [philosophy-of-science]
for applied philosophical questions about the study of science, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and the scientific method
1,981 questions
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(Reference request) Theories that attempt to unify physics and math, and/or address Agrippa's trilemma, and/or give an account of consciousness [closed]
I am looking for references discussing "grand" theories which attempt to unify physics and mathematics and or address Agrippa's trilemma and/or also give an account of consciousness. I ...
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In what way does philosophy of measurement impact measurement in practice in physics and metrology?
This question is very similar to a question I asked here on physics stack exchange, but I hope to be a bit more specific and concise.
I recently came across the book "Foundations of Measurement&...
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Is "water seeks its own level" an argument from Aristotelian physics? [closed]
The aphorism “water seeks its own level”, first articulated by Samuel Rowbotham in 1849, has been repurposed in contemporary flat-earth discourse. In particular Eric Dubay, whose 2004 digital ...
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What Justifies Treating External Reality as Mind-Independent While Dismissing phenomena like NDEs as Mere Hallucinations?
The evidence we have for the existence of external, mind-independent reality is shared, consistent, universal, cross-culturally similar perceptual experiences. This is the source of independent ...
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Is scientific explanation reducible to information compression in formal epistemology?
Some theories suggest that explanation corresponds to model compression (example: via Kolmogorov complexity).
Is there a recognized position or critique in philosophy of science addressing whether ...
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What are the epistemological differences between scientific and religious approaches to knowledge?
I am interested in understanding how different epistemological assumptions shape scientific and religious approaches to knowledge. In particular:
How do scientific methodologies define what counts as ...
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“If entropy always increases, how does order emerge in the universe?” [closed]
The universe, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, tends toward disorder (entropy increases). Yet everywhere we look, we see order: galaxies, stars, planets, life, even consciousness. If ...
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How to label this specific set of beliefs, commonly found in anti-science circles
I came across a short video posted by an Instagram account TrueEarth911 responding to the science communicator Daniel Rourke (SciManDan), regarding mainstream scientific readings of the phases of ...
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Is there a difference between a mechanistic explanation and a nomic explanation?
I know how they are described differently: a nomic explanation is an explanation that appeals to laws of nature or something equivalent. A mechanistic explanation is one that appeals to the sort of ...
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What's the difference between a metaphysical object/entity and a physical but non-material object/entity?
I am not clear on the distinction being carved here. Modern science admits to a number of non-material but "physical objects" or entities such as quantum, electrical, or gravitational fields ...
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What about the "beat you to the punch" interpretation of the unfalsifiability theory of knowledge? [closed]
Consider this theory of knowledge: a statement is true if and only if it is unfalsifiable. Reason? If a statement cannot be falsified, and its unfalsifiability is enduring, then it must capture ...
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Is falsifying an inductive hypothesis an example of modus tollens?
Is falsifying an inductive hypothesis an example of modus tollens?
To illustrate what I mean consider the following: We observe some swans are white. And by induction we make the hypothesis that given ...
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Limits to Thomas Kuhn's theory of science
I'm wondering about the following two related questions. I would like references for further reading, counterpoints to my thoughts, and as much examples as possible. Many thanks in advance!
I'm a ...
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I have a question about Field’s fictionalism
I am currently reading Hartry Field’s 1989 book Science without Numbers.
In order for Field’s argument to be valid, he needs to establish a version of Hilbert's Representation Theorem that shows a ...
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Are the laws of nature eternal? [closed]
Recently I was reading about Spinoza's philosophy and the Islamic philosophy regarding the attributes of god and came to my mind this question in modern philosophy are the laws of nature considered ...
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Are quantum mechanics interpretations metaphysical rather than scientific? [closed]
There are over 20 interpretations of quantum mechanics, all consistent with the same empirical results, yet at most only one can be correct. Since these interpretations don’t provide new empirical ...
user105132
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Can one engage with physics (or science) without implicating philosophy?
I’ve noticed that many physicists and scientists—even those working on foundational issues in quantum mechanics or time—seem to go about their research and careers without ever touching a single bit ...
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Can probability be an ontological field with topological structure? [closed]
I'm exploring a conceptual framework I've been developing called Field-Topology Probability Theory (FTPT). It proposes a reinterpretation of probability - not as an abstract, epistemic measure, but as ...
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Why is it wrong for an Auxiliary hypothesis to assume the truth of its main Theory?
Elliott Sober says:
It is no good arguing as follows: ‘‘Look, the eye was created by an
intelligent designer and the eye has features F1. . . Fn. Therefore, the
designer in question probably wanted ...
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Do Electrons Exist? [closed]
The following seems true:
For all X1, if X1 is an electron then X1 is a particle and a wave.
For all X1, if X1 is a wave then X1 is not a particle.
Therefore, for all X1, if X1 is an electron, then ...
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Is a non-falsifiable model still a scientific theory? What distinguishes science from metaphysics today? [closed]
Karl Popper famously argued that for a theory to be scientific, it must be falsifiable—meaning there should be a possible observation that could prove it wrong.
However, many modern theoretical ...
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Is mysticism compatible with peer review and the scientific method?
Prompted by Gaia's question How close is philosophy to mysticism?, I'm curious whether mysticism can be reconciled with epistemological standards such as peer review and empirical verification. Have ...
user92624
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May we reframe epistemology in terms of information thermodynamics rather than classical propositional structures alone? [closed]
May we reframe epistemology in terms of information thermodynamics rather than classical propositional structures alone? It is possible to establish epistemology on the basis of the thesis that ...
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Can we define a scientific theory as a non-empty set of falsifiable statements?
Below is the definition, sourced from Wikipedia, empasis mine:
Thornton says that basic statements are statements that correspond to
particular "observation-reports". He then gives Popper's ...
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Is a true singular “thing” inherently impossible? [closed]
In the universe; there are always different methods of doing something. This is very noticeable with technology. So many brands joust to sell the same thing to you. Betamax and VHS are both marketed ...
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