Wolf, William J. and Duerr, Patrick M. (2023) The Virtues of Pursuit-Worthy Speculation: The Promises of Cosmic Inflation. [Preprint]
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Abstract
The paper investigates the historical and contemporary pursuit-worthiness of cosmic inflation-the rationale for working on it (rather than necessarily the evidential support for claims to its approximate truth): what reasons existed, and exist, that warrant inflation's status as the mainstream paradigm studied, explored, and further developed by the majority of the cosmology community? We'll show that inflation exemplifies various salient theory virtues: explanatory depth, unifying/integrative power, fertility and positive heuristics, the promotion of understanding, and the prospect (and passing) of novel benchmark tests. This, we'll argue, constitutes inflation's auspicious promise. It marks inflation as preferable over both the inflation-less Hot Big Bang Model, as well as rivals to inflation: inflation, we maintain, rightly deserved, and continues to deserve, the concerted research efforts it has enjoyed.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. Updated version of the text fixing minor typos. | |||||||||
| Keywords: | Cosmology, inflation, early universe, pursuit vs.\ acceptance, theory virtues, explanatory power, unificatory power, fertility, understanding | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Values In Science |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. William Wolf | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 05 Jan 2024 03:12 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 05 Jan 2024 03:12 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 22912 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Values In Science |
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| Date: | 28 September 2023 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/22912 |
Available Versions of this Item
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The Virtues of Pursuit-Worthy Speculation: The Promises of Cosmic Inflation. (deposited 30 Sep 2023 00:19)
- The Virtues of Pursuit-Worthy Speculation: The Promises of Cosmic Inflation. (deposited 05 Jan 2024 03:12) [Currently Displayed]
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