Contrastive evaluation of explanations in studies of scientific knowledge
Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
In order to explain scientific practices, a study of science must organize its method
of explanation. Symmetry requirement in the sociology of scientific knowledge
demanded that explaining why scientists conclude their explanations the way they
do should be carefully executed with a symmetrical focus on reasons. That is, the
possible epistemic states of the practices under study require the same types of
explanations, regardless of the actual outcome. One problem with symmetry
requirement is its assumption that there is a shared intuition on the types of
explanations and ways in which they are compared and contrasted. In this thesis, I
explore this assumption and provide a possible assessment strategy that is
informed by the philosophical debates on contrastive explanations. My proposal is
a strategy of evaluating explanations in studies of science with respect to their
sensitivity to given context. Explanations are sensitive to the context only if they
are contrastively symmetrical. As opposed to strong symmetry, contrastive
symmetry can accommodate wider possibilities of explanations given their
intended context.
Description
Keywords
philosophy of science, scientific knowledge, symmetry requirement, contrastive explanation