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Introduction to Philosophy of Science (What is Science & Non-Science?,…
Introduction to Philosophy of Science
Scientific Revolution
Geocentric Model (Aristotle)
5 elements:
Air, water, fire, earth & aether
Nothing outside of the universe, just heaven
Ptolemy =
stars are not fixed -
epicycles
The church liked the geocentric theory - earth/man at the centre & perfect heavens
Heliocentric Model (Copernicus)
Earth revolves around the sun - takes 1 year
Earth spins on axis once a day
Criticisms:
* If the Earth moves, why don't things move around?
If Earth spins, why don't people fly from the surface
Shouldn't stars increase/decrease in size depending on Earth's location?
Galileo
Invented a strong telescope - saw many more stars, moon's craters --> Heavens aren't perfect
Jupiter has 4 moons which
rotated
- against geocentrism
Catholic church were angry --> Galileo imprisoned
Newton
Why is the sun at the centre? - physical laws that govern motions of planets
Cannon ball would circle around the Earth and not go into space
Objects attracted to each other - applies to all physical bodies
Bacon
Science can flourish through observation & experiments
Idea of
empiricism
- experiments to test claims
Standardise experiments so they can be replicated - observation & reasoning = progress
Descartes
Cartesian tradition - logical approach to understanding science
Division between
science & religion
Dualism:
Mind is immaterial and separate from body, spiritual not physical
Mechanist view:
Universe & all matter in it (including body) = one big, sophisticated machine
God made us as machines so we could look after ourselves without his help
Bodies = self-perpetuating machines, soul & body = separate
Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am) - 6 different passions:
Animal spirits
Autonomic spirits
Self-awareness
Attention
Wakefulness
Self-observations
Development of Psychology
Age of Enlightenment
Comte:
Knowledge is obtained by using the scientific method and is known as positivism
Religion & philosophy were considered inferior
Emergence of Psychology
Darwin:
2nd largest scientific discovery (life & universe)
Natural selection
Survival of the fittest
Kant:
Anthropology - link between thinking & emotion
Self-consciousness
Mental processes
Emotions
Using scientific method to study human psyche:
Psychophysics was established
Statistics were developed
What is Science & Non-Science?
Common-sense views of science
Facts given to observers via the senses
Facts are prior to & independent of theory
Facts constitute a firm & reliable foundation for scientific knowledge
Problem 1
Optical illusions
trick us - our perception is wrong
Even when we can observe something (or effects of something) - how good is our sensory perception?
Problem 2
Perception requires interpretation - theory changes perception of facts and helps us focus on facts
Biological issues - eyes can deteriorate
Problem 3
Theories full of non-observable facts
Non-observables become observable e.g. microscopes
Problem 4
Search for facts to be guided by knowledge
If facts don't precede theory, we don't know what to look for & where
e.g. We perceive spiders much differently than spider experts do
Inductive Reasoning
A finite number of specific facts -->
general conclusion
e.g. swans
Just because something is observed to happed over & over again, only means that it will
probably
happen again but this is NOT PROOF that it will for
certain
Post Modernists
Science is not special or real
Science has nothing to do with realism
Scientific knowledge = social construct
Science is like a
religion, voodoo & astrology
Is Psychology a Science?
1. Merely Common Sense
Strange behaviours are especially likely during full moons
People with SZ have multiple personalities
People asked if statements about human behaviour are true - most of them were wrong =
NOT common sense
Polygraphs = highly accurate etc.
2. Doesn't use scientific methods
2 crucial characteristics of science:
Willingness to root out errors in beliefs
Implementation of procedural safeguards against confirmation bias
Psychology uses:
Randomised control groups
Double Blind designs
Placebo control groups
3. Can't yield meaningful generalisations because everyone is unique
Each member of AA group is distinct, so is the group, each moment - no way to reduce this complexity into equations and formula that can be replicated
4. Doesn't yield repeatable results
Hedges:
Compare empirical cumulativeness of psychology & physics
Both sciences use similar statistical methods
Reviews of both sciences suggest statistical inconsistencies
Caution: Only reviews of one particular physics domain was used
5. Can't make precise predictions
Associations are
context dependent
6. Not useful for society
Road safety
Boosting brain power
Beating fear
Supporting each other
Overcoming prejudice
Criminal Justice System