Center for Analysis and Design of Intelligent Agents

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Philosophy of Science III

Theory (Icel. kenning)	“A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.”
Theory: The coherent story	The ability of individuals and groups to create “coherent stories” of how phenomena in the world are connected and produce rigorous models that support the stories is a necessary condition for scientific progress.
Theories	Explains the connections between things in the world
Hypothesis (Icel. tilgáta)	A prediction about the relationship between a limited set of phenomena, as explained by a particular theory.
Support from evidence	The strongest form of evidence is rigorous hypothesis testing using scientific experimentation: clearly thought-out tests of the claims that naturally fall out of the Theory to be tested. It helps if the hypotheses concern unexpected results.

Where theories come from	Scientific theories almost never pop out complete and finished. They get assembled piece by piece, until there are so few pieces left that someone figures out a full picture - a complete story to be told, explaining the phenomena at hand.
Scientific theories: Always evolving	Although scientific knowledge is the most reliable knowledge there is, most scientific theories (the best ones for any given topic) at any point in time are theories in flux in that they are actively being put to the test.

“Observable”	Philosopher: what you can observe with your senses. Scientist: what you can measure
“Non-observable”	hypothetical concept (that may become observable at some point, in the scientists sense).
Empirical laws	Rule that relate two or more observables. Example: Color wheel artithmetic - yellow+blue=green.
Theoretical laws	Rules that deal with non-observables.
Relationship between rule and law	Law: Rule that has become established (through experiment).
Empirical laws and facts	Empirical laws relate facts about observables.
Empirical law ←→ theoretical law	Similar to rel. betw. empirical and facts.

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