scholarly journals Worldmaking as an Approach to Scientific Pluralism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Fišerová
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Scientific Pluralism ◽  
Basic Framework ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
The World

This study discusses the extent to which Goodman’s constructivist conception of worldmaking may serve the needs of scientific practice. I argue that worldmaking should help us retain a common methodological order and a basic framework for scientific pluralism. In this way it should provide us not only with better scientific knowledge but also with a greater understanding of the world in general that would be inclusive of both scientific and nonscientific disciplines. The main purpose of this paper is to show that, if revisited, Goodman’s idea of versions, including even mutually exclusive scientific theories, can aid the gradual progress of pluralistic science. Taking the prevailing criticism of Goodman’s conception into account, I argue that worldmaking can serve as a methodological apparatus for scientific disciplines because it presents a position of moderated constructivism which, thanks to the variable criterion of rightness, offers a way to maintain both relativism and skepticism.

Constructivism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Downes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Scientific Representations ◽  
The World ◽  
The Way

Originally proposed by sociologists of science, constructivism or social constructivism is a view about the nature of scientific knowledge held by many philosophers of science. Constructivists maintain that scientific knowledge is made by scientists and not determined by the world. This makes constructivists antirealists. Constructivism here should not be confused with constructivism in mathematics or logic, although there are some similarities. Constructivism is more aptly compared with Berkeley’s idealism. Most constructivist research involves empirical study of a historical or a contemporary episode in science, with the aim of learning how scientists experiment and theorize. Constructivists try not to bias their case studies with presuppositions about how scientific research is directed. Thus their approach contrasts with approaches in philosophy of science that assume scientists are guided by a particular method. From their case studies, constructivists have concluded that scientific practice is not guided by any one set of methods. Thus constructivism is relativist or antirationalist. There are two familiar (and related) criticisms of constructivism. First, since constructivists are self-avowed relativists, some philosophers argue that constructivism fails for the same reasons that relativism fails. But many philosophers of science note that relativism can be characterized in various ways and that versions of relativism can be useful in the interpretation of science. Therefore, constructivism’s relativism does not by itself render it unacceptable. Second, constructivists are accused of believing that scientists literally ‘make the world’, in the way some make houses or cars. This is probably not the best way to understand constructivism. Rather, constructivism requires only the weaker thesis that scientific knowledge is ‘produced’ primarily by scientists and only to a lesser extent determined by fixed structures in the world. This interprets constructivism as a thesis about our access to the world via scientific representations. For example, constructivists claim that the way we represent the structure of DNA is a result of many interrelated scientific practices and is not dictated by some ultimate underlying structure of reality. Constructivist research provides important tools for epistemologists specializing in the study of scientific knowledge.

Imaginative Frames for Scientific Inquiry

2019 ◽  
pp. 304-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Camp
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Inquiry ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Model Construction ◽  
Cognitive Tools ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Half Century ◽  
Scientific Representations ◽  
The World

Philosophers of science in the last half century have emphasized that scientific theories are not sets of transparently interpretable, logically connected true descriptions; rather, they involve implicit appeal to only partially articulated theoretical, practical, and empirical assumptions, and depart from stating the truth in various ways. One influential trend treats scientific theorizing as largely a process of model construction, and analyzes models as fictions. While this chapter embraces the increased role accorded to imagination and interpretation in scientific practice by the models-as-fictions view, it argues that different scientific representations relate to the world in importantly different ways. It distinguishes among a range of distinct representational tropes, or “frames,” all of which function to provide a perspective: an overarching intuitive principle for noticing, explaining, and responding to some subject. Starting with Max Black’s metaphor of metaphor as a pattern of etched lines on smoked glass, the chapter explains what makes frames in general powerful cognitive tools. It then distinguishes metaphor from some of its close cousins, especially telling details, just-so fictions, and analogies, first in the context of ordinary cognition and then in application to science, focusing on the different sorts of gaps that frames or models can open up between scientific representations and reality.

scholarly journals Sanctioning Models: The Epistemology of Simulation

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Winsberg
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Constitutive Equations ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Complex Chain ◽  
The World

The ArgumentIn its reconstruction of scientific practice, philosophy of science has traditionally placed scientific theories in a central role, and has reduced the problem of mediating between theories and the world to formal considerations. Many applications of scientific theories, however, involve complex mathematical models whose constitutive equations are analytically unsolvable. The study of these applications often consists in developing representations of the underlying physics on a computer, and using the techniques of computer simulation in order to learn about the behavior of these systems. In many instances, these computer simulations are not simple number-crunching techniques. They involve a complex chain of inferences that serve to transform theoretical structures into specific concrete knowledge of physical systems. In this paper I argue that this process of transformation has its own epistemology. I also argue that this kind of epistemology is unfamiliar to most philosophy of science, which has traditionally concerned itself with the justification of theories, not with their application. Finally, I urge that the nature of this epistemology suggests that the end results of some simulations do not bear a simple, straightforward relation to the theories from which they stem.

scholarly journals Specialized terminology limits the reach of new scientific knowledge

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Martínez ◽  
Stefano Mammola
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
The World ◽  
Number Of Citations ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractWords are the building blocks of science. As our understanding of the world progresses, scientific disciplines naturally enrich their specialized vocabulary (jargon). However, in the era of interdisciplinarity, the use of jargon may hinder effective communication amongst scientists that do not share a common linguistic background. The question of how jargon limits the transmission of scientific knowledge has long been debated, but rarely addressed quantitatively. We explored the relationship between the use of jargon and citations using 21,486 articles focusing on cave research, a multidisciplinary field particularly prone to terminological specialization and where linguistic disagreement among peers is frequent. We demonstrate that the use of jargon in the title and abstract significantly reduces the number of citations a paper receives. Given that these elements are the hook to readers, we urge scientists to restrict jargon to sections of the paper where its use is unavoidable.

Les “Théories de L’image” De Helmholtz et de Hertz et les Motifs de Carnap Dans L’aufbau

1998 ◽  
pp. 148-154
Author(s):  
Jean Leroux
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Semiotic System ◽  
Systematic Treatment ◽  
Hermann Von Helmholtz ◽  
General Semantics ◽  
The World ◽  
Heinrich Hertz

I propose to sketch and compare the "picture theories" of Hermann von Helmholtz and Heinrich Hertz. These semiotic conceptions of scientific knowledge are forerunners of the now prevailing semantic views of scientific theories in philosophy of science, and my intent is to bring out the respective main features that either proved to be influential or, as such, retained in contemporary formal approaches to the semantics of physical theories. For our purposes, "picture theories" can be characterized as conceptions that (a) take as a departure the fact that scientific theories are embodied in a system of signs and (b) involve a systematic treatment of the relation that obtains between the semiotic system and the world. Essentially, such a theory will have in its core an answer to the question: "What does it take for a picture to be a picture of something?" In concludion, I outline a filiation between Helmholtz, Hertz and Carnap pertaining to the question of monomorphism or categoricity in the general semantics of physical theories.

scholarly journals The Challenges Facing Palliative Care Advocacy: What Is in a Name?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Garcia-Baquero Merino ◽  
María Victoria Roqué Sánchez ◽  
Katherine Pettus ◽  
Micaela Menarguez Carreño
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Continuous Development ◽  
Cultural Transfer ◽  
Transfer Processes ◽  
Timely Response ◽  
The World

The need for Palliative Care (PC) continues to grow throughout the world, requiring continuous development, true to its “ethos.” As awareness grows so does the expectation for timely response and policies to potentiate its delivery. The scientific dimension of its philosophy, underpinned by research and scientific practice, looks to explain its nature, origin and concepts, models and theories within which it is delivered. The concept palliation is widely used; yet, it is understudied by academics and clinicians. Interestingly, it is increasingly questioned by society and other specialists, calling for it to “be debated and essentially contested”. Our aim is to contribute to society’s understanding of palliative care so that they can have a clear and truthful awareness of the complex implications of its mission. We approach the different concepts, scientific theories and structures can be achieved by following different pathways, including defining its “ethos”: personality or nature, manifest in the very formulae by which PC places itself before those who need it. What a fascinating topic it is to research and write on!, phenomenological in its base, it shows how different translations of the Anglo-Saxon PC influence its understanding and much needed expansion. Semiotics are at the base of the essence of how palliative care might be assumed and promoted. PC is, for sure, one of the most important, existential spheres to apply our knowledge today and a novel promising methodology to apply the semiotic and phenomenological approaches learning of different aspects of cultural transfer processes.

scholarly journals Specialized terminology reduces the number of citations of scientific papers

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1948) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Martínez ◽  
Stefano Mammola
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
The World ◽  
Scientific Papers ◽  
Number Of Citations ◽  
The Relationship

Words are the building blocks of communicating science. As our understanding of the world progresses, scientific disciplines naturally enrich their specialized vocabulary (jargon). However, in the era of interdisciplinarity, the use of jargon may hinder effective communication among scientists that do not share a common scientific background. The question of how jargon limits the transmission of scientific knowledge has long been debated but rarely addressed quantitatively. We explored the relationship between the use of jargon and citations, using 21 486 articles focusing on cave research, a multidisciplinary field particularly prone to terminological specialization, and where linguistic disagreement among peers is frequent. We demonstrate a significant negative relationship between the proportion of jargon words in the title and abstract and the number of citations a paper receives. Given that these elements are the hook to readers, we urge scientists to restrict jargon to sections of the paper where its use is unavoidable.

The Theory of Accounting in the Context of Modern Paradigm of Scientific Knowledge

2017 ◽  
pp. 325-334
Author(s):  
Vita Semanyuk
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Modern Theory ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Practical Activity ◽  
The World ◽  
World Level

Accounting as a practical activity was being developed during millennia but the final forming of accounting science is impossible without the development of its modern theory, which is correspondent to the requirements of scientific doctrines of the 21st century. The existing theory, in many cases, is not good at all and, in general, it is the set of technical approaches of realization of double record. The results of economic investigations of the world level show the impossibility of modern accounting science to fulfill its functions because of its conservative character and it was not changed during many years. All these investigations have a direct impact on economy and show that the understanding of the basic postulates changes and the stress is made on psychological and social aspects and avoiding of material ruling.

Reflections into the Spirit of the Islamic Corpus of Knowledge and the Rise of the New Science

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-164
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Dhaouadi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Third World ◽  
New Physics ◽  
Western Civilization ◽  
Western Science ◽  
New Science ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Primary Reference

There is no question that contemporary western civilization has beendominant in the field of science since the Renaissance. Western scientificsuperiority is not limited to specific scientific disciplines, but is rather anovetall scientific domination covering both the so-called exact and thehuman-social sciences. Western science is the primary reference for specialistsin such ateas as physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, economics,psychology, and sociology. It is in this sense that Third World underdevelopmentis not only economic, social, and industrial; it also suffersfrom scientific-cultutal underdevelopment, or what we call "The OtherUnderdevelopment" (Dhaouadi 1988).The imptessive progress of western science since Newton and Descartesdoes not meari, however, that it has everything tight or perfect. Infact, its flaws ate becoming mote visible. In the last few decades, westernscience has begun to experience a shift from what is called classical scienceto new science. Classical science was associated with the celestialmechanics of Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, the new physics of Galileo,and the philosophy of Descartes. Descartes introduced a radical divisionbetween mind and matter, while Newton and his fellows presented a newscience that looked at the world as a kind of giant clock The laws of thisworld were time-reversible, for it was held that there was no differencebetween past and future. As the laws were deterministic, both the pastand the future could be predicted once the present was known.The vision of the emerging new science tends to heal the division betweenmatter and spirit and to do away with the mechanical dimension ...

The Japanese Pharmacological Society

Impact ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (3) ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Akinori Akaike
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
The World ◽  
Further Development

The Japanese Pharmacological Society (JPS) was established in 1927 with the express purpose of contributing to the further development of the field of pharmacology through the spread of scientific knowledge on pharmacological theory based on applied research conducted in close coordination with our fellow members as well as other affiliated academic societies throughout the world.

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