Key Topics Flashcards
(15 cards)
Ontology
Study of being / existence
Ex: Bitcoin vs. Euro
Epistemology
Study of knowledge
—> what knowledge is and how it is obtained
Ex: Does God exist? How do we know if God exists?
Methodology
How we should best collect data
What is philosophy of Science?
Deals with what management is and how it works
The logic through which we build scientific knowledge in the management field
- System 1: fast but unreliable
- System 2: slow but reliable
5 features of scientific knowledge
- Generalisability
- Controllability
- Objectivity
- Trustworthiness
- Parsimony (use clear and simple models of explanation)
Causality
Connection with determinism
—> alle – insbesondere auch zukünftige – Ereignisse durch Vorbedingungen eindeutig festgelegt sind
Steps:
1. Form initial hypotheses: X —> Y
2. Collect data on X, Y, and control variables.
3. Use statistics to establish correlation.
3 explanation
Different types of causal explanation:
1. Causal —> the apple fell off the tree BECAUSE of gravity
2. Functional —> we have a heart TO pump blood
3. Intentional —> You are at RSM because you want a good education.
Social ontology
Social reality only exists in so far as we accept it to exist. Wether we do accept social reality is dependent on our understanding of it
Ontological & Epistemological question
Ontological question: Are natural and social reality the same or are they different
- Individual level (free will, intentions, choice)
- Social level (isn’t social reality humanly constructed in a way that physical reality is not?)
Epistemological question: Can social science theories be based on observation alone?
Positive and normative theory
Positivism: the epistemological view that knowledge, and scientific knowledge, should be based on empirical evidence.
- Positive theory
- ambition to explain the world as it is based on facts
- positive expectations towards the world
- theory-to-world fit - Normative theory
- ambition to justify the world as it ought to be
- normative expectations towards the world
- world-to-theory fit
Logical argument
Definition:
- A series of statements meant to establish a claim.
- A process of creating a new statement from one or more existing statements.
—> statement: ambiguous declarative sentence about a fact about the world. All statements have a truth value.
- logically valid argument will lead to true conclusions = truth preservation of logic
Structure:
Premise 1 - all A are B
Premise 2 - X is a A
Conclusion - Therefore, X is B
Affirming the antecedent ✅
Premise 1 - all A are B
Premise 2 - X is a A
Conclusion - Therefore, X is B
All Dutch love football
Joost is Dutch
Therefore, Joost loves football
Denying their consequent✅
Premise 1 - If A, then B
Premise 2 - Not B
Conclusion - Therefore, not A
Anyone who is Dutch is tall,
Dr. Liu is not tall
Therefore, she is not Dutch
Affirming the consequent
Premise 1 - If A, then B
Premise 2 - B
Conclusion - Therefore, A
If it’s Friday, I go to the gym
I went to the gym today
Therefore, today is Friday
Denying the antecedent
Premise 1 - If A, then B
Premise 2 - Not A
Conclusion - Therefore, not B
If you work hard, you will get a high grade
You did not work hard on this course
Therefore, you will not get a high grade
