Chapter 9

Question 1

What is Lakatos’ Response to Popper and Kuhn? 3

Answer 1

• something being proven right does not actually make it true → L and K both agreed

→ but: Popper’s falsificationism was rather naive and falsified theories too quickly.

* Kuhn: irrational and had written off proper science in general

Question 2

What are Lakatos’ Three varieties of Falsificationism?

Answer 2

1. Dogmatic Falsificationism
   
   • facts that can be used to disprove theories. E.g. If you see a white raven your theory is refuted → but nothing can be proven
     → too narrow for Lakatos, would make scientic proven theories unscientific
2. Methodological Falsificationism/conservative conventionalism
   
   • a theory which has been around for a while can never be falsified
3. Sophisticated Falsificationism (Lakatos supports)
   
   • not a theory which should be falsified, but a series of theories
   • If that series can be falsified, then it is proper science, but only if it has new facts compared to the old theory, explains why the previous theory was successful and why the new facts have been corroborated.

• → Kuhn’s idea that paradigms cannot be given up until a new paradigm is created is accepted
  -hard core is basis of theory → consists of all sorts of theories and experiments
  -“attacked” by theories disproving the hard core → protective belt has to be adjusted, hard core shall not be touched

Question 3

What is Paul Feyerabend’s Methodological Anarchism/ An Anarchistic Theory of Knowledge? 6

Answer 3

• scientific method should not be our only method to gain knowledge→ need more than that one way → we also held on to the geocentric world view for too long, and that we should not make the same mistakes again by holding on to the scientific method
  • did not believe in objective facts, as our observations are theory-laden
  • world is much more complex than we believe, and that scientists oversimplify the world.
  • “anything goes”
  • what is the source of knowledge? any method can be the source of knowledge
  • we require complete freedom, and that even rationality should not hold us back while creating a theory.

Question 4

What is the Sokal Hoax? 3

Answer 4

• Feyerabend’s theory is mainly based on the idea that there are no objective facts
  • argument: if we were to accept Feyerabend’s notion that observational facts do not exist, morals would no longer exist either, and criminals could get away with everything by saying that facts do not exist.
  • He proves that science is a method to prove the truth and not just a concept that scientists can construct because he sees the devastating effect the latter view would have upon the world