Philosophy of Science 61 (1):25-38 (1994)
| Abstract |
Contrary to the assumptions of empiricist philosophies of science, the theory-laden character of data will not imply the inherent failure (subjectivity, circularity, or rationalization) of instruments to expose nature's secrets. The success of instruments is credited to scientists' capacity to create artificial technological analogs to familiar physical systems. The design of absorption spectrometers illustrates the point: Progress in designing many modern instruments is generated by analogically projecting theoretical insights from known physical systems to unknown terrain. An experimental realism is defended
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| Keywords | instruments science |
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| DOI | 10.1086/289778 |
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References found in this work BETA
How Experiments End.Peter Galison - 1988 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 39 (3):411-414.
Revolutions and Reconstructions in the Philosophy of Science.Mary Hesse - 1980 - Philosophy 56 (217):430-431.
On the Stability of the Laboratory Sciences.Ian Hacking - 1988 - Journal of Philosophy 85 (10):507-514.
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Citations of this work BETA
Old and New Problems in Philosophy of Measurement.Eran Tal - 2013 - Philosophy Compass 8 (12):1159-1173.
Lawson's Shoehorn, or Should the Philosophy of Science Be Rated 'X'?Douglas Allchin - 2003 - Science & Education 12 (3):315-329.
Do We See Through a Social Microscope?: Credibility as a Vicarious Selector.Douglas Allchin - 1999 - Philosophy of Science 66 (3):298.
Between Justification and Pursuit: Understanding the Technological Essence of Science.William J. McKinney - 1995 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 26 (3):455-468.
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