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Demarcation between science and pseudoscience
Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations
Theory of karl popper easy
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The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science, which concerns the way one can distinguish science from pseudoscience, remains a relevant debate after decades of discussion among prominent philosophers. Sir Karl Popper, whose contributions to the philosophy of science are likely the most conspicuous, along with many others have tackled the subject from falsificationist and verificationist standpoints. Paul Thagard in his essay “Why Astrology Is a Pseudoscience” proposes a different approach, expressing need in the philosophy of science for an outlook that considers social and historical elements in addition to the scientific method itself. (66) This paper will attempt to articulate Thagard's explanation of his demarcation criterion and his argument for the labelling of astrology as a pseudoscience, and offer justification for accepting his judgements. I argue that Thagard's view most adequately and holistically addresses all components of the demarcation problem, and will defend them against complications that could be perceived to arise from the acceptance of this position.
Immediately, Thagard provides an explanation of astrology, along with a brief account of its origins and history. Astrology, in simple terms, is the mapping of the sun sign (Zodiac sign), ascendant sign, and the position of the moon and planets to determine a person's disposition, demeanour, and future. (66-7) Though astrology is considered to have begun formation thousands of years BCE, it was not popularized until the time of Alexander the Great, and not explicated until the second century in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos. The discipline prospered well into the Renaissance, facing very little contestation until the Enlightenment. Despite this waning interest,...
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...d solution to the demarcation problem may not be sufficient for everyone, particularly because it does not offer an answer that has always been or will continue to be in the future. The success of his criterion relies heavily on the contextualizing of theories in place and time, as well as a deeper knowledge of the community of practitioners, and to many science enthusiasts this may appear threatening. However, if Thagard's argument is illuminating in any way, it certainly expresses the need for a criterion that does not undermine the tremendous influence of humanity on the course of science and that does not reduce the discipline to merely methodology.
Works Cited
Thagard, Paul R. “Why Astrology Is a Pseudoscience.” Introductory Readings in the Philosophy of Science. Ed. E.D. Klemke, Robert Hollinger, and David W. Rudge. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 1998. Print.
Willis, Roy. and Curry, Patrick . Astrology Science and Culture. Pulling Down the Moo. (Oxford: Berg 2004)
Brennan, C.(2008) “Reflections on the United Astrology Conference – UAC 2008”, Retrived on March 6, 2014 http://horoscopicastrologyblog.com/2008/08/06/reflections-on-the-united-astrology-conference-uac-2008/
There is a modest version and a robust version of descriptive philosophy of science. The aim of the modest version is the historical reconstruction of actual evaluative practice. Given that scientists preferred one theory (explanation, research strategy...) to a second, the modest descriptivist seeks to uncover the evaluative standards whose application led to this preference. For instance, the modest descriptivist may seek to uncover the standards implicit within such evaluative decisions as Aristotle's rejection of pangenesis, Newton's rejection of Cartesian Vortex Theory, or Einstein's insistence that the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics is incomplete. Pursuit of a modest descriptive philosophy of science may require a certain amount of detective work, particularly for episodes in which the pronouncements of scientists and their actual practice do not coincide.
Since the mid-20th century, a central debate in the philosophy of science is the role of epistemic values when evaluating its bearing in scientific reasoning and method. In 1953, Richard Rudner published an influential article whose principal argument and title were “The Scientist Qua Scientist Makes Value Judgments” (Rudner 1-6). Rudner proposed that non-epistemic values are characteristically required when making inductive assertions on the rationalization of scientific hypotheses. This paper aims to explore Rudner’s arguments and Isaac Levi’s critique on his claims. Through objections to Levi’s dispute for value free ideal and highlighting the importance of non-epistemic values within the tenets and model development and in science and engineering,
Ptolemy’s work in astrology is also legendary. He wrote was was considered an astrological bible called the Tetrabiblos in Greek. It’s not know for certain but the general thought is that Ptolemy’s own name for the work was Apotelesmatika, which means something like “Astronomical Outcomes.” Much of the work included in this is not Ptolemy's but again an organized collection of information from those before him. Ptolemy had a rational view of astrology in that it was conjecture and that it wasn’t this vital component of a person’s life as many people in royalty seemed to think it was at that
There is often a heated debate on whether or not a theory is scientific. This debate brings to light a problem named the demarcation problem. This problem simply asks how one distinguishes between science and non-science. This is a very important question especially in examining separation of church and state. The demarcation problem is apparent when schools are unsure as to whether or not they should teach creationism as a possible scientific theory. Schools are to teach science, but how does one tell the difference between a scientific theory and a theological one. In order to find a solution to the demarcation problem one might look towards falsificationism. Falsificationism states that a theory is scientific if and only if it is falsifiable or verifiable. In other words if a theory, T, is testable, then it is scientific. With falsificationism, guidelines are used to decipher between testable and not testable therefore scientific and non-scientific respectively. So by using falsificationism consistently one should be able to solve the demarcation problem. But within falsificationism, some contradictions have arisen and from these, three versions of falsificationism have been formulated.
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