Verified Document

Philosophy Of Science: Hempel Vs. Essay

Tollaksen is a researcher concentrating in the field of reverse causality, the idea that both the past and the future affect the present. His results, if fully accepted, defy any sort of reductionist explanation. A necessary reductionist viewpoint -- a reductionist assumption a holist might say -- is the flow of time, and all particles trapped therein, from low entropy to high. Causality is central to reductionism. Yet, in Tollaksen's experiment, by the time the decisions -- the causal phenomena -- are made, the measurements -- the affected phenomena -- are not only already over but all the reduced elements involved with those measurements already dissipated, destroyed, or gone wherever it is photons go when physicists are done with them. Tollaksen's experiment suggests that Pascal's barometer reads 30 inches of mercury not just because of what the atmospheric pressure is (at which it arrived by being what it was) but also because of what the atmospheric pressure will yet be. Of course, it is impossible to say that reductionism should be discarded. Approach to holistic understanding begins necessarily with reductionist understanding of individual elements. Who could hope to understand the recent recession without knowing about credit swaps? Where would Tollaksen be if he had never been to Physics 101?

Hempel approaches the problem of scientific method correctly by requiring standardized, logical rules to ensure repeatability. Yet this logical approach is not irreconcilable with holism. Holism's detractors might say that holism "threatens to make testing impossible," and certainly it moves science from a realm of simple, laboratory experiments, into a universe...

However, scientific truth is not concerned with its own complexity; just because an equation is difficult, or even impossible to solve, does not mean it is incorrect. Just because simple rules do not fit, does not mean that a set of rules is not definable, however complicated. Some theorists have argued just such a case for the holy grail of the Unified Field Theory. It is believed by some now that the universe, and all its forces and masses, may not be reducible to one or a few simple equations. Those equations, it is argued, may be so complex that without processing power far beyond what humans are capable of today, we will not find them. This idea is even supported by the unexpected complexity -- the messiness -- of modern quantum mechanics; instead of one or a few elementary particles many, widely-varied ones have been found and continue to be searched for.
Holism has become, for modern science, inescapable. While the conduction of experiments under reductionist premises is still possible and necessary, the truth of interactions between integrated systems and their components defy many simple explanations. Holism has been the approach of engineers -- applied scientists -- for centuries now, we only wait for theoretical science to catch up.

Bibliography

1. "Holism in Science" Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web 28 March 2010

2. "Reductionism" Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web 28 March 2010

3. Merali, Zeeya "Back From the Future" Discover Magazine April 2010 pp. 39-44. Print.

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

1. "Holism in Science" Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web 28 March 2010

2. "Reductionism" Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web 28 March 2010

3. Merali, Zeeya "Back From the Future" Discover Magazine April 2010 pp. 39-44. Print.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Holism and Hempel's Theory of
Words: 1073 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

In that sense, he was a victim of his time period. He may have felt very differently if he were alive today, because science, technology, and even the study of metaphysics have advanced a great deal. Hempel was a scientist, but he was a bit of a philosopher, as well (Sarkar & Pfeifer, 2006). That is a large part of the reason why his opinions on the issue seem odd.

Philosophy of Science
Words: 2868 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Scientific Explanation Must every scientific explanation contain a law of nature? For those who support the Deductive-Nomological Account, the answer is yes. Discuss critically the arguments for and against this view, and present your own analysis of which is stronger. Date of Submittal Must every scientific explanation contain a law of nature? For those who support the Deductive-Nomological Account, the answer is yes. Discuss critically the arguments for and against this view, and

What Is Science
Words: 519 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Philosophy & Science The Subjectivity of Science: The role of philosophy in explaining the nature of science James L. Christian, in his book "Philosophy," centers his discussion in providing a philosophical perspective to the nature of science. In his discussion of science in a philosophical context and its relation with human society, Christian asserts, " ... In general there is so much mathematical inconsistency to our experience of nature's operations that we

Knowledge of Nature Space Time and Motion Cosmos
Words: 2096 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Science Philosophy Inherent in Science Explanation in Science This summary was a review of Carl G. Hempel's "Explanation In Science," which was reprinted from "Scientific Knowledge" and was edited by Janet A. Kovoany. Carl Hempel was well-known for his scientific explanation concept which has become the foundaton of many modern day philosophical discussions on the purpose and logic of science. Hempel's work was insightful and it was founded on the basis that

Paradox of Confirmation
Words: 3003 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Paradox of Confirmation Paradoxes seem to form the essence of irrationality and to continuously prove that rationality has a limit and that rationally inducing a fact may in fact prove the fact wrong. What is in fact a paradox? If we follow one definition, a paradox is "a parody on proof. It begins with realistic premises, but the conclusion falsifies these premises." More so, however, a paradox "arises when a set

Rationality: Predictive Theories Are Better or Not
Words: 663 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Rationality: Predictive Theories are Better or Not? Philosophy Carl Gustav Hempel is a leader of the logical positivist movement. Logical positivism, also known as logical empiricism or logical neopostivism, rose as a movement in Hempel's home of Germany in the early to mid 20th century. Logical positivism's primary concern lies in the critical analysis of scientific knowledge and natural sciences with definite meaning. Logical positivism and thus Hempel argue for the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now