Why are good theories good?
reflections on epistemic values, confirmation, and formal epistemology
pp. 1533-1553
Abstract
Franz Huber’s (2008a) attempt to unify inductivist and hypothetico-deductivist intuitions on confirmation by means of a single measure are examined and compared with previous work on the theory of verisimilitude or truthlikeness. The idea of connecting ‘the logic of confirmation’ with ‘the logic of acceptability’ is also critically discussed, and it is argued that ‘acceptability’ takes necessarily into account some pragmatic criteria, and that at least two normative senses of ‘acceptability’ must be distinguished: ‘acceptable’ in the sense of ‘being allowed to accept’, and ‘acceptable’ in the sense of ‘being obliged to accept’. Lastly, some connections of confirmation theory with naturalism, intertheoretic reduction, and explanation vs. understanding are explored.
Publication details
Published in:
(2013) Synthese 190 (9).
Pages: 1533-1553
DOI: 10.1007/s11229-011-9893-9
Full citation:
Zamora-Bonilla Jesús (2013) „Why are good theories good?: reflections on epistemic values, confirmation, and formal epistemology“. Synthese 190 (9), 1533–1553.