Bostrom, Nick (2002) Are Cosmological Theories Compatible with All Possible Evidence: A Missing Methodological Link. [Preprint]

Microsoft Word (.doc) 95-icckckbtro.doc Download (81kB)

Abstract

This paper argues that our current best cosmological theories, according to which cosmos is very big are compatible with all possible evidence. The problem is unrelated to the Quine-Duhem underdetermination thesis. The compatibility to which this paper draws attention is much more radical: it appears as if all of our best cosmological theories are perfectly probabilistically compatible with all possible evidence and that no empirical discovery could give us any reason whatever to favor one such theory over another. This consequence is absurd. In order to create an evidential link between cosmological theory and observation, a new methodological principle is needed. A candidate for such a principle is proposed, using a Bayesian framework that takes account of observation selection effects. Various applications in other scientific fields are considered.

---

Export/Citation:

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

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Bostrom, Nick
Keywords:	Determinism/Indeterminism, Cosmology, Theory Change, Structure of Theories, Probability, Bayesianism
Depositing User:	Program Committee
Date Deposited:	19 Aug 2002
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2010 15:11
Item ID:	743
Date:	2002
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/743

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item