HPS100 UofT Final Exam Notes

HPS100 UofT Final Exam Notes TheoryAns - A set of propositions. An attempt to describe something Scientific MosaicAns - A set of all accepted theories. Scientific ChangeAns - Any change in the scientific Mosaic. We ...

HPS100 UofT Final Exam Notes TheoryAns - A set of propositions. An attempt to describe something Scientific MosaicAns - A set of all accepted theories. Scientific ChangeAns - Any change in the scientific Mosaic. We use the concept of scientific mosaic to define the concept of scientific change. What is Mosaic?Ans - They are some of the theories of our contemporary scientific mosaic. Natural ScienceAns - Biology, Chemistry, Physics. Social ScienceAns - History, Sociology, Psychology Formal ScienceAns - Math Analytic PropositionsAns - They are deductible from definitions, cannot contradict the result of experiments or observations, Necessarily hold in all possible worlds: the opposite is inconceivable E.x Formal sciences (mathematics, logic) Synthetic PropositionsAns - Not deductible from definitions, Can contradict the results of experiments or observations. Do not necessarily hold in all possible world: the opposite is conceivable E.x, natural selection, physics, biology, economics. Because the opposite can happen. They all come from empirical science, they are observations of the world. Why can we not have absolute knowledge?Ans - The Problem of Sensations, Induction, Theory-Ladenness FallibilismAns - No synthetic proposition can be infallible. Empirical knowledge cannot be absolutely certain InfallibilismAns - Synthetic propositions can be infallible. Empirical knowledge can be absolutely certain. AcceptanceAns - A theory is said to be accepted if it is taken as the best available description of its object UseAns - A theory is said to be used if it is taken as an adequate