Difference between revisions of "Status of Reasons"

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Imagine a scenario where a theory ''T'' is accepted because of reason ''R<sub>1</sub>''. However, 'R<sub>1</sub>'' is later replaced by another reason 'R<sub>2</sub>''. Does this change necessarily entail that T should be replaced as well?
 
Imagine a scenario where a theory ''T'' is accepted because of reason ''R<sub>1</sub>''. However, 'R<sub>1</sub>'' is later replaced by another reason 'R<sub>2</sub>''. Does this change necessarily entail that T should be replaced as well?
|Authors List=Abdullah Sarwar, Intishar Kazi,
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|Authors List=Abdullah Sarwar, Intishar Kazi, Hakob Barseghyan,
 
|Formulated Year=2018
 
|Formulated Year=2018
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|Academic Events=Scientonomy Seminar 2018 Fall,
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|Page Status=Needs Editing
 
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{{Acceptance Record
 
{{Acceptance Record

Revision as of 19:17, 5 November 2018

Do epistemic communities accept reasons during theory acceptance? If they do, what is the nature of the relationship between reasons and scientific change? Is it possible for a theory to remain accepted while the original reason for its acceptance is replaced by another?

Epistemic communities seem to accept or reject reasons for theories. Currently, Scientonomy does not accept reasons and thus lacks an account of the status of reasons. Are reasons theories? Are reasons theories about theories? Are they components of scientific mosaics? Imagine a scenario where a theory T is accepted because of reason R1. However, 'R1 is later replaced by another reason 'R2. Does this change necessarily entail that T should be replaced as well?

In the scientonomic context, this question was first formulated by Hakob Barseghyan, Abdullah Sarwar and Intishar Kazi in 2018. The question is currently accepted as a legitimate topic for discussion by Scientonomy community.

In Scientonomy, the accepted answer to the question is:

  • If a theory satisfies the acceptance criteria of the method employed at the time, it becomes accepted into the mosaic; if it does not, it remains unaccepted; if assessment is inconclusive, the theory can be accepted or not accepted.

Scientonomic History

Acceptance Record

Here is the complete acceptance record of this question (it includes all the instances when the question was accepted as a legitimate topic for discussion by a community):
CommunityAccepted FromAcceptance IndicatorsStill AcceptedAccepted UntilRejection Indicators
Scientonomy18 October 2018Yes

All Theories

According to our records, no theory has attempted to answer this question.

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Accepted Theories

According to our records, no theory on this topic has ever been accepted.

Suggested Modifications

According to our records, there have been no suggested modifications on this topic.

Current View

In Scientonomy, the accepted answer to the question is The Second Law (Patton-Overgaard-Barseghyan-2017).

Mechanism of Theory Acceptance

The Second Law (Patton-Overgaard-Barseghyan-2017) states: "If a theory satisfies the acceptance criteria of the method employed at the time, it becomes accepted into the mosaic; if it does not, it remains unaccepted; if assessment is inconclusive, the theory can be accepted or not accepted."

The Second Law (Patton-Overgaard-Barseghyan-2017).png

According to this formulation of the second law, if a theory satisfies the acceptance criteria of the method actually employed at the time, then it becomes accepted into the mosaic; if it does not, it remains unaccepted; if it is inconclusive whether the theory satisfies the method, the theory can be accepted or not accepted.

Unlike the previous formulation of the second law, this formulation makes the causal connection between theory assessment outcomes and cases of theory acceptance/unacceptance explicit. In particular, it specifies what happens to a theory in terms of its acceptance/unacceptance when a certain assessment outcome obtains.

In addition, this new formulation is clearly not a tautology because it forbids certain logically possible scenarios, such as a theory satisfying the method of the time yet remaining unaccepted.

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