Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Book

185686

Building theories

heuristics and hypotheses in sciences

edited byDavid Danks Emiliano Ippoliti

Abstract

 This book explores new findings on the long-neglected topic of theory construction and discovery, and challenges the orthodox, current division of scientific development into discrete stages: the stage of generation of new hypotheses; the stage of collection of relevant data; the stage of justification of possible theories; and the final stage of selection from among equally confirmed theories. The  chapters, written by leading researchers, offer an interdisciplinary perspective on various aspects of the processes by which theories rationally should, and descriptively are, built. They address issues such as the role of problem-solving and heuristic reasoning in theory-building; how inferences and models shape the pursuit of scientific knowledge; the relation between problem-solving and scientific discovery; the relative values of the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic view of theories in understanding theory construction; and the relation between ampliative inferences, heuristic reasoning, and models as a means for building new theories and knowledge. Through detailed arguments and examinations, the volume collectively challenges the orthodox view's main tenets by characterizing the ways in which the different "stages" are logically, temporally, and psychologically intertwined. As a group, the chapters provide several attempts to answer long-standing questions about the possibility of a unified conceptual framework for building theories and formulating hypotheses.

Details | Table of Contents

"Take the case of a geometer…"

mathematical analogies and building theories in Aristotle

Monica Ugaglia

pp.119-143

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72787-5_7
TTT

a fast heuristic to new theories?

Thomas Nickles

pp.169-189

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72787-5_9
Rhythms, retention and protention

philosophical reflections on geometrical schemata for biological time

Giuseppe LongoNicole Perret

pp.245-259

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72787-5_12

Publication details

Publisher: Springer

Place: Dordrecht

Year: 2018

Pages: 284

ISBN (hardback): 978-3-319-72786-8

ISBN (digital): 978-3-319-72787-5

Full citation:

Danks David, Ippoliti Emiliano (2018) Building theories: heuristics and hypotheses in sciences. Dordrecht, Springer.