STS 2411 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: On The Heavens, Logical Positivism, Scientific Realism

• School: York University
• Department: Science and Technology Studies
• Course: STS 2411
• Professor: Jill Lazenby

Document Summary

Science gives us direct access to truths about the natural world (objective) The above properties of science are made possible because of its special method. Whig history: a theory of history reflected in some histories of science and medicine. Implies a progression of history towards the present studies the past with reference to the present h. butterfield. In history of science focuses on great men and great achievements that build on one another. Scientific realism: the claim that scientific theories are approximately true, science progresses towards truth. Science gets more detailed, more precise, broader, and leads to more technical ability. Science has more predictive power, technical ability is this not an increase in its truth value: formal relations between theory and data, there is rational basis for accumulation of truth, not luck. Induction scientists to make general statements from individual observations: a good theory of science shows how science takes the individual observations and comes to a general theory.