Perovic, Slobodan (2011) Theory-Ladenness of Observation in the Experimental Context. [Preprint]

Preview

PDF Theory_ladenness_HEP_philsci_archive.pdf - Submitted Version Download (155kB)

Abstract

Focusing on the discovery of weak currents, the current debate on the theory-ladenness of observation in modern physics might be too narrow, as it concerns only the last stage of a complex experimental process and statistical methods required to analyze data. The scope of the debate should be extended to include broader experimental conditions that concern the design of the apparatus and different levels of the detection process. These neglected conditions often decisively delimit experiments long before the last stage has been reached, thus predetermining the extent of the dependence of data production on the theory. I explain the nature of these conditions and the theory-ladenness tendencies they produce, noting how they affect the last stage of the data analysis and providing some relevant examples.

---

Export/Citation:

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

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Perovic, Slobodan perovicslobodan@gmail.com
Keywords:	theory-ladenness; experiments; high energy physics
Subjects:	General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Theory/Observation
Depositing User:	Dr. Slobodan Perovic
Date Deposited:	22 Nov 2011 15:29
Last Modified:	22 Nov 2011 15:29
Item ID:	8914
Subjects:	General Issues > Experimentation Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Theory/Observation
Date:	21 November 2011
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8914

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item