Dethier, Corey (2019) How to do Things With Theory: The Instrumental Role of Auxiliary Hypotheses in Testing. [Preprint]

Preview

Text (PP) Dethier - How to Do Things with Theory.pdf - Accepted Version Download (285kB) | Preview

Abstract

Pierre Duhem's influential argument for holism relies on a view of the role that background theory plays in testing: according to this still common account of "auxiliary hypotheses," elements of background theory serve as truth-apt premises in arguments for or against a hypothesis. I argue that this view is mistaken. Rather than serving as truth-apt premises in arguments, auxiliary hypotheses are employed as (reliability-apt) "epistemic tools": instruments that perform specific tasks in connecting our theoretical questions with the world but that are not (or not usually) premises in arguments. On the resulting picture, the acceptability of an auxiliary hypothesis depends not on its truth but on contextual factors such as the task or purpose it is put to and the other tools employed alongside it.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Dethier, Corey corey.dethier@gmail.com 0000-0002-1240-8391
Keywords:	Duhem; holism; auxiliary hypotheses; testing; confirmation; underdetermination
Subjects:	General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Depositing User:	Dr. Corey Dethier
Date Deposited:	25 Oct 2019 04:05
Last Modified:	25 Oct 2019 04:05
Item ID:	16426
Official URL:	https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10670-0...
Subjects:	General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Date:	2019
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/16426

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item