Workshop: Exploring Scientific Method: Evidence, Explanation, and Unification in Science
13.02.2017
Idea & Motivation
Philosophical investigation into scientific method is a well-established area within the philosophy of science. The aim of this workshop is to advance our understanding of three central topics within this investigation: the role that evidence plays in science; the structure of scientific explanations; and the role of unification in science. To this end, the following questions will be addressed. Concerning evidence: In what sense is it better to gather evidence from various sources? What does it mean for evidence to be reliable? Can biased research furnish good evidence? As regards explanation: How should we characterise causal explanation? Is causal explanation possible in quantum mechanics? How are various different forms of explanation in science related? Can certain of them be fruitfully thought of as species of a single genus? Finally, unification: What is the best way to characterise the inferential structure of certain types of unifying explanation? How do unifying hypotheses guide theory construction?