{"id":259,"date":"2011-10-04T23:45:07","date_gmt":"2011-10-04T23:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vince-inc.com\/vincent\/?p=259"},"modified":"2011-10-08T16:41:12","modified_gmt":"2011-10-08T16:41:12","slug":"the-convergence-of-scientific-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vince-inc.com\/vincent\/?p=259","title":{"rendered":"The Convergence of Scientific Knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE\u00a0CONVERGENCE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE<\/strong>
\n– a view from the limit
\n<\/strong>Vincent F. Hendricks
\nStudia<\/a>\u00a0Logica Library, Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001, 410 pages
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Reviews<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>Abstract<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Keywords<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Table of<\/a>\u00a0Contents<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Cover<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>REVIEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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by\u00a0Ryszard Wojcicki<\/strong><\/em>, Managing Editor, Studia Logica Library:<\/span><\/p>\n

This\u00a0book will be a rewarding reading for everybody who is interested in\u00a0logical aspects of scientific knowledge acquisition. The\u00a0presentation of the issues\u00a0discussed in the book is exemplary. The author was able to present in parallel\u00a0way three different\u00a0perspectives under which the issues discussed in the book\u00a0might\u00a0be approached.<\/span><\/p>\n

To\u00a0begin with, this is the philosophical perspective. I hardly could\u00a0mention another book in which various philosophical viewpoints on\u00a0the nature of scientific inquiry are discussed in such a consistent\u00a0but at the same time instructive and accurate way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another,\u00a0perspective relevant to the considerations carried out by the author\u00a0is logical.\u00a0Again, the logical aspects of the problem are\u00a0handled in a masterly way. That the problems of growth of science\u00a0can be studied with the help of logical instruments is obvious. Both\u00a0syntactical techniques being part of the development of various\u00a0logical systems (the system of epistemic logic in the first place)\u00a0and semantic techniques resulted from semantic studies of those\u00a0systems are relevant for the\u00a0area of studies covered by\u00a0Hendricks. What those who go through the book will\u00a0appreciate\u00a0is the fact that Hendricks is able to show that the various logical\u00a0tools he discusses form a coherent, completing one another whole.\u00a0Needless to say that the fact that Hendricks was able to demonstrate\u00a0that is one considerable advantages of the book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally\u00a0it is the perspective of the theory of learning. Again it is hardly\u00a0surprising that\u00a0the theory of learning might allow one to grasp\u00a0in the right way various aspects of\u00a0scientific growth … let\u00a0me just notice that the idea of using the methods of the\u00a0learning\u00a0theory for the purposes of the studies carried out in the book has\u00a0turned out extremely fruitful. I am quite sure that Hendricks’\u00a0approach to the problems he studies is of considerable interest for\u00a0anybody who is interested in forming a good theoretical model of\u00a0growth of science.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To\u00a0top<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>ABSTRACT<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u00a0is popular view among epistemologists, methodologists and\u00a0philosophers of science to hold that knowledge and science converge\u00a0to the truth, or less ambitiously, converge to some adequate theory,\u00a0in the limit. The former view characterizes scientific realism while\u00a0the latter describes the general anti-realistic attitude. The aim,\u00a0however, is not to say whether convergence will or will not occur.\u00a0It is, rather, to investigate the proposal that such convergence, if\u00a0it occurs, is constitutive of scientific knowledge: in brief to\u00a0provide a (formal) epistemology of limiting convergence for\u00a0scientific realism and anti-realism.<\/span><\/p>\n

To\u00a0investigate this proposal for epistemic convergent logics certain\u00a0concepts from formal learning theory are applied. Learning theory is\u00a0the formal study of inductive problems and their intrinsic\u00a0solvability for both ideal and computationally bounded agents. Then\u00a0together with a few topological concepts and classical modal,\u00a0epistemic and tense logic the result is modal operator theory;\u00a0modal simply refers to the fact that unary modal operators are used\u00a0to represent epistemic attitudes like knowledge and belief. Modal\u00a0operator theory can be used to answer a host of systematic issues\u00a0like: What is\/are:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    the\u00a0role of background knowledge when engaged in scientific inquiry\u00a0problems?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    the\u00a0significance of temporally partitioning the set of hypotheses\u00a0under\u00a0scientific investigation – i. e. the spatio-temporal\u00a0characteristics of laws of nature.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    the\u00a0(truth-conducive) nature methodological canons placed on inquiry\u00a0methods –\u00a0their restrictive or permissive character?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    alethic\u00a0simultaneity, i. e. the relation between empirical\u00a0adequacy and truth.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    the\u00a0strength of knowledge based on (1) discovery, (2) assessment\u00a0methods in\u00a0terms of the propositional modal epistemic systems corresponding\u00a0to them?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  6. \n

    the\u00a0relation between convergent knowledge and skepticism?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  7. \n

    the relation between knowledge and the time over which it is\u00a0acquired?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  8. \n

    the\u00a0relation between scientific discovery and scientific assessment\u00a0given\u00a0inducement and transmissibility conditions?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  9. \n

    what\u00a0is relation between scientific realism and anti-realism in the\u00a0limit of inquiry.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most\u00a0of the results are genuinely new. One of the reasons is that the\u00a0formal framework by default construction mixes the three classical\u00a0logics of modal, epistemic and tense in order to investigate the\u00a0fundamental proposal above. This is interesting in its own right\u00a0because little attention has been paid to how the three types of\u00a0logic interact with each other – and how the they interact with\u00a0formal learning they.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Most\u00a0importantly however, it is a systematic investigation concerning the\u00a0prospects of limiting convergent scientific knowledge – both for\u00a0scientific realism and anti-realism<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/a>KEYWORDS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Epistemology, Methodology, Reliability, Scientific Inquiry, Knowledge as True\u00a0Justified Belief, Skepticism, Justification Global and Local\u00a0Underdetermination, Realism and Anti-realism, Scientific Rationality,\u00a0Gettier-cases, Prologues, Induction, Problem of Induction, Laws of\u00a0Nature, Scientific Methods, Assessment, Discovery, Logic, Possible\u00a0Worlds, Branching Time, Formal Learning Theory, Epistemic, Tense and\u00a0Modal Logic, Transmissibility, Forcing, KK-thesis, Limiting\u00a0Convergence, Accessibility Relation, Relevant Possibilities of Error,\u00a0Bayesianism, Probability Theory, Inducement, Methodological\u00a0Recommendations, Epistemic Goals and Correctness.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/a>TABLE OF CONTENT<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    List\u00a0of Figures
    \nList of Tables
    \nPreface
    \nAcknowledgements
    \nFormal Prerequisites<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chapter\u00a01. Introduction<\/span><\/p>\n

    Part\u00a0I – The Philosophy of Convergence<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chapter\u00a02. Epistemology, Methodology and Reliability
    \nChapter 3. Knowledge and Skepticism
    \nChapter 4. The Epistemology of Convergence<\/span><\/p>\n

    Part\u00a0II – Modal operator theory<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chapter\u00a05. The Ontology of Convergence
    \nChapter 6. Science and Setup
    \nChapter 7. Two Relations of Correctness
    \nChapter 8. Methods and Methodology
    \nChapter 9. Forcing
    \nChapter 10. Definitions of Knowledge
    \nChapter 11. Modal Formalization
    \nChapter 12. Systems for Convergent Knowledge
    \nChapter 13. Knowledge in Time
    \nChapter 14. Forcing and Convergence – and Method
    \nChapter 15. Transmissibility<\/span><\/p>\n

    Part\u00a0III – Convergence in Sum<\/span><\/p>\n

    Chapter\u00a016. Knowledge in the End<\/span><\/p>\n

    Appendices<\/span><\/p>\n

    Appendix
    \nA. List of Axioms, Propositions and Theorems
    \nAppendix B. Additional Proofs
    \nAppendix C. Science and Relevance – and Philosophy<\/span><\/p>\n

    Index
    \nNomenclature
    \nReferences<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    <\/a>COVER<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    THE\u00a0CONVERGENCE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE – a view from the limit Vincent F. Hendricks Studia\u00a0Logica Library, Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001, 410 pages       Reviews\u00a0|\u00a0Abstract\u00a0|\u00a0Keywords\u00a0|\u00a0Table of\u00a0Contents\u00a0|\u00a0Cover REVIEWS by\u00a0Ryszard Wojcicki, Managing Editor, Studia Logica Library: This\u00a0book will be a rewarding reading for everybody who is interested in\u00a0logical aspects of scientific knowledge acquisition. The\u00a0presentation of the issues\u00a0discussed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-posts","category-publications"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t