PhilSci Archive

Under-determination in Cosmology: an Invitation

Butterfield, Jeremy (2012) Under-determination in Cosmology: an Invitation. [Preprint]

[img]
Preview
PDF
UnderdetCosmMind.pdf - Published Version

Download (136kB)

Abstract

I discuss how modern cosmology illustrates under-determination of theoretical hypotheses by data, in ways that are different from most philosophical discussions. I confine the discussion to the history of the observable universe from about one second after the Big Bang, as described by the mainstream cosmological model: in effect, what cosmologists in the early 1970s dubbed the `standard model', as elaborated since then. Or rather, the discussion is confined to a (very!) few aspects of that history. I emphasise that despite the under-determination, a scientific realist can, and should, endorse this description.


Export/Citation: EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
Social Networking:
Share |

Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Butterfield, Jeremyjb56@cam.ac.uk
Additional Information: The Inaugural Address as President of the Mind Association: given at the Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and Mind Association, University of Stirling, Scotland, 6 July 2012. Published in the Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume LXXXVI (2012), page 1-18
Keywords: under-determination, scientific realism, the standard model of cosmology, observationally indistinguishable spacetimes
Subjects: General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Depositing User: Jeremy Butterfield
Date Deposited: 10 Jun 2012 12:53
Last Modified: 10 Jun 2012 12:53
Item ID: 9156
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1111/j.1467-8349.2012.00205.x
Subjects: General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology
General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Date: January 2012
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9156

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item