Gijsbers, Victor (2014) Unification as a Measure of Natural Classification. THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 29 (1). pp. 71-82. ISSN 2171-679X
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Abstract
Recent interest in the idea that there can be scientific understanding without explanation lends new relevance to Duhem's notion of natural classification. According to Duhem, a classification that is natural teaches us something about nature without being explanatory. However, Duhem's conception of naturalness leaves much to be desired. In this paper, I argue that we can measure the naturalness of classification by using an amended version of the notion of unification as defined by Schurz and Lambert. If this thesis is correct, it both leads to a better conceptual understanding of scientific understanding, and also gives the nascent literature on this topic some much-needed precision.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | ISSN: 0495-4548 (print) | ||||||
| Keywords: | unification; understanding; explanation; natural classification; Pierre Duhem | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Laws of Nature |
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| Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email theoria@ehu.es | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 06 May 2014 11:28 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 06 May 2014 11:28 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 10654 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science | ||||||
| Publisher: | Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea / Universidad del País Vasco | ||||||
| Official URL: | http://www.ehu.es/ojs/index.php/THEORIA/article/vi... | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.1387/theoria.7235 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Laws of Nature |
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| Date: | January 2014 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 71-82 | ||||||
| Volume: | 29 | ||||||
| Number: | 1 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 2171-679X | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10654 |
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