Duerr, Patrick M. and Wolf, William J. (2025) Cosmic conundrums, common origins, and omnivorous constraints. [Preprint]
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Abstract
The paper revisits Janssen’s seminal proposal of Common Origin Inferences (COIs), a powerful and scientifically
fruitful inference pattern that (causally) traces striking coincidences back to a common origin. According to Janssen,
COIs are a decisive engine for rational theory change across disciplines and eras. After a careful reconstruction of
Janssen’s central tenets, we critically assess them, highlighting three key shortcomings: its strong realist and
ontological commitments, its restriction to (or strong penchant for) causal/ontic explanations, and its intended
employment for conferring evidential-epistemic status. To remedy these shortcomings, we moot a natural
generalisation and amelioration of Janssen’s original conception—COI*s: Constraint-Omnivorous Inferences. COI*s
warrant inference to pursuit-worthy hypotheses: it’s rational to further study, work on, elaborate/refine or test
hypotheses that account for multiple constraints in one fell swoop. As a demonstration of the utility of COI*-
reasoning, we finally show how it sheds light on, and dovetails, the three most significant breakthroughs in recent
cosmology: the Dark Matter hypothesis, the Dark Energy postulate, and the theory of cosmic inflation.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Common Origins, IBE, pursuit, heuristic reasoning, theory choice, cosmology | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. William Wolf | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 14 May 2025 12:18 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 14 May 2025 12:18 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 25299 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Date: | 13 May 2025 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25299 |
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