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2015 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

3. Logical and Epistemological Norms in Scientific Theory Construction

Author : Amitabha Gupta

Published in: Essays on Research Methodology

Publisher: Springer India

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Abstract

Since the formative period of science in the antiquity, the logic of induction and deduction and the role they play in formulating scientific theories have been the concern for both the practicing scientists and the philosophers of science. It is commonly believed that science (and specifically a scientific theory) does not consist of discrete and random collection of factual statements, but comprises a network of both empirical and theoretical, particular and general, and observational and law statements in a coherent structure and framework. The role of logic in science, especially the job of the construction of scientific theories, essentially relates to spelling out the nature of these connections and relationships among the various types of statements in this network, explaining what entitles the scientists to move from one type of statement to another or justifying on what basis they do so.

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Appendix
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Footnotes
1
Suppe (1977).
 
2
Losee (1972), p. 6, Jones (1952), Arnold(1974 ).
 
3
The detailed study of the Babylonian mathematical astronomy can be found in (1) Neugebauer (1957, pp. 105–113). For Egyptian mathematics and astronomy, see Chap. IV, pp. 77–96; for Babylonian mathematics, see Chap. II, pp. 25–70; for astronomy, see Chap. V, pp. 97–144. (2) Neugebauer (1975). For Babylonian astronomy, see Pt. I, Bk. II, pp. 347–555; for Egyptian astronomy, see Pt. II, Bk. III, pp. 559–70.
 
4
Locke (1968).
Kant in Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science and Critique of Pure Reason claimed that his main concern was to explain how synthetic a priori judgments are possible in science and mathematics.
 
5
Prior Analytics I.2, 24b18-20.
 
6
Gupta (1989), Freund (1968), Caneva (1978).
 
7
Cartwright (1983, 1989), Little (1993).
 
8
Neugebauer (1957, pp. 105–113; 1975), op. cit.
 
9
Neugebauer (1957, pp. 105–113).
 
10
The reductio ad absurdum argument essentially involves a technique of proving a claim or theorem Г by assuming that “not Г” is true and then deducing from “not Г” and the axioms of the system both a statement and its negation. It is clear that if the assumption of “not Г” entails contradiction where the axioms of the system are taken to be true, then “not Г” must be given up, and “Г” must be admitted as true.
 
11
Szabó (1978), Hardy (1940).
 
12
Heath (1861–1940, 1956).
 
13
Mueller (1981/2006).
 
14
The method of exhaustion consists of showing that each possible contrary of a theorem Г has consequences that are inconsistent with the axioms of the system.
 
15
Galileo (1638).
 
16
Newton (1729).
 
17
Toulmin (1961).
 
18
Hume (1739/1888).
 
19
Popper (1963a, b, 1968).
 
20
Beth (1967).
 
21
Mumford (1999).
 
22
Macnamara (1991, pp. 21–48).
 
23
Lakatos (1976).
 
24
Hilbert (1902).
 
25
Fine (1985), Stoll (1961), Macnamara (1991, pp. 26–27).
 
26
Adapted from Losee (1972, p. 6).
 
27
Mill et al. (1963).
 
28
Hobbes, Leviathan (1651).
 
29
Robbins (1932).
 
30
Friedman (1953).
 
31
von Mises (1960, 1962).
 
32
Arrow (1951, 1963), Sen (1986, 1970, n.d.).
 
33
Parikh (2002).
 
34
Endris (2011).
 
35
Parsons (1951).
 
36
Merton (1949/1957/1968).
 
37
Zetterberg (1954/1963/1965).
 
38
Gross (1959).
 
39
Lipset (1994).
 
40
Gibbs (1972), Cohen (1980).
 
41
Neurath (1983).
 
42
Cartwright (1999).
 
43
Popper (1963a, b).
 
44
Popper (1963a, b, 1970).
 
45
Cartwright (1983, 1999).
 
46
Fine (1986, 1996).
 
47
Hacking (1983).
 
48
Kincaid (1996).
 
49
Huggett (2001).
 
50
Salmon (1971).
 
51
Searle (1984).
 
52
Churchland (1979).
 
53
Little (1991, 2003).
 
54
Sen (1977).
 
55
Sen (1985).
 
56
Sen (1993).
 
57
Srinivas (1952).
 
58
Srinivas (1976).
 
59
Proofs given by Broad (1918, 1920) and Salmon (1967).
 
60
Strawson (1952/1962).
 
61
Black (1967).
 
62
Kripke (1972, p. 327, 1971).
 
63
Putnam Hilary (1975).
 
64
Boyd (1990), And (1991).
 
65
Griffiths (1997).
 
66
Collier (1996).
 
67
Mill ([1843] 1905), Quine (1969), Boyd (1990), And (1991), Hacking (1991).
 
68
Kornblith (1993).
 
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Metadata
Title
Logical and Epistemological Norms in Scientific Theory Construction
Author
Amitabha Gupta
Copyright Year
2015
Publisher
Springer India
Book
Essays on Research Methodology

Print ISBN: 978-81-322-2213-2

Electronic ISBN: 978-81-322-2214-9

Copyright Year: 2015

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2214-9_3