Statistics Theory L1 = Philosophy Of Science

Question 1

Philosophy of science attributes? (3)

Answer 1

Involves:

• Why scientists do what they do.
• Why they use the methods of inquiry they do.
• Question assumptions that scientists take for granted.

Question 2

What’s the typical problem in philosophy of science?

Answer 2

It’s that there are different perspectives of how science should be conducted.

Question 3

What are the perspectives on how science should be conducted? (2)

Answer 3

• Logical positivists.
• Scientific paradigms.

Question 4

What’s the point of these perspectives?

Answer 4

To show you that science is complicated and is not as objective/clear-cut as you were taught.

Question 5

Proponent of Logical positivists?

Answer 5

Karl Popper.

Question 6

Proponent of Scientific paradigms?

Answer 6

Thomas Kuhn.

Question 7

Logical positivists?

Answer 7

= argue that because science is objective, rigorous & based on measurements, it is an ideal tool for seeking the truth about nature.

Question 8

Logical positivists attributes? (3)

Answer 8

• Explanation should be falsifiable.
• Explanation should be posed in a way that leads to a prediction, which can be compared with evidence, and demonstrated to be false.
• If a theory doesn’t satisfy this condition, it would be called pseudoscience.

Question 9

Egs of Logical positivists? (3)

Answer 9

• Freudian psychoanalysis (pseudoscience).
• Skinner (real science).
• Einstein (real science, testable).

Question 10

Pseudoscience?

Answer 10

= theory/explanation changes according to the evidence.

Question 11

Real science?

Answer 11

= theory/explanation remains constant despite changes in the predictions.

Question 12

What if observations don’t match predictions? How much evidence is necessary to reject a theory?

Answer 12

Consider the following:

• Evolution vs Intelligent design.
• Darwinism vs Lamarkism.

Question 13

Scientific paradigms?

Answer 13

= argue that science is driven by scientific paradigms.

Question 14

Paradigm?

Answer 14

= a set of fundamental theoretical assumptions accepted by the scientific community.

Question 15

Paradigm is also?

Answer 15

= a set of exemplars solved by those assumptions.

Question 16

Paradigm attributes? (2)

Answer 16

• Involves indoctrination.
• Drive the evidence that support it (the indoctrination), thus competing paradigms can’t be compared.

Question 17

What is scientific reasoning?

Answer 17

= it’s how scientists make conclusions about the processes that shape the world.

Question 18

How do scientists make conclusions about the processes that shape the world?

Answer 18

They make inferences, i.e., propose processes that can’t be observed through patterns that can be observed.

Question 19

How do we get reliably from observable patterns to unobservable processes?

Answer 19

Through:

• Induction (mostly).
• Deduction (mostly).
• Hypothetico-deduction.
• Retroduction (not main focus).

Question 20

Induction?

Answer 20

= when one uses the observed pattern (s) to determine the unobserved process causing those patterns (specific to general).

Question 21

Deduction?

Answer 21

= when one uses the process to determine the possible patterns that will be produced.

Question 22

Hypothetico-deduction?

Answer 22

= tests the proposed mechanisms.

Question 23

Retroduction?

Answer 23

= explains how/why a process produces a pattern (i.e., via a mechanism).

Question 24

Egs of induction vs deduction? (2)

Answer 24

• Sherlock Holmes.
• Smoking causes cancer.

Question 25

Which form of reasoning is stronger or more reliable?

Answer 25

In reality we use both.

Question 26

Forms of scientific reasoning? (4)

Answer 26

- Induction. - Deduction. - Hypothetico-deduction. - Retroduction.

Question 27

Steps to scientific reasoning? (5)

Answer 27

1) Pattern of interest. 2) Form a question of the pattern. 3) Potential explanation. 4) Form predictions. 5) Test predictions.

Question 28

Steps 1-3 of scientific reasoning represent?

Answer 28

- Induction. - Retroduction.

Question 29

Steps 3-4 of scientific reasoning represent?

Answer 29

Deduction.

Question 30

Steps 4-5 of scientific reasoning represent?

Answer 30

Hypothetico-deduction.

Question 31

Using the Oscar Pistorius trial: Step 1?

Answer 31

Gun, bullet holes, blood, dead girl, screams/cries, confession.

Question 32

Using the Oscar Pistorius trial: Step 2?

Answer 32

Why did he do it?

Question 33

Using the Oscar Pistorius trial: Step 3? (2)

Answer 33

1) Mistaken intruder. 2) Deliberated, premeditated.

Question 34

Using the Oscar Pistorius trial: Steps 4-5? (4)

Answer 34

- More investigation. - Go back to the crime scene. - Go out to question witnesses. - Run experiments in the crime lab.

Question 35

Correlation?

Answer 35

= not enough to conclude with certainty.

Question 36

Why do scientific reasoning this way (why this method)? (2)

Answer 36

- We don't see the true process. - To check biases.