Colaco, David
(2019)
An Investigation of Scientific Phenomena.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
To determine how things work, researchers first must determine what things occur. Such an idea seems simple, but it highlights a fundamental aspect of science: endeavors to theorize, explain, model, or control often result from first determining and adequately characterizing the targets of these practices. This dissertation is an investigation of how researchers determine one important kind of target: scientific phenomena. In doing so, I analyze how characterizations of these phenomena are formulated, defended, revised, and rejected in light of empirical research. I focus on three questions. First, what do characterizations of scientific phenomena represent? To answer this, I investigate what it means to characterize a phenomenon, as opposed to describing the results of individual studies. Second, how do researchers develop these characterizations? This question relates to the logic of discovery: I examine how researchers use existing theories and methods to explore systems, search for phenomena, and develop representations of them. Third, how do researchers evaluate these characterizations? This question relates to the logic of justification: I investigate how empirical findings serve as defeasible evidence for the characterizations of phenomena and in light of what evidence we should accept, suspend judgment about, or reject them.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
24 September 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
3 June 2019 |
| Approval Date: |
24 September 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
13 June 2019 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
165 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > History and Philosophy of Science |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Scientific Phenomena; Philosophy of Science; Experiment |
| Date Deposited: |
24 Sep 2019 19:46 |
| Last Modified: |
24 Sep 2019 19:46 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/36930 |
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