Underdetermination as an epistemological test tube

expounding hidden values of the scientific community

Martin Carrier

pp. 189-204

in: Gerhard Schurz, Ioannis Votsis (eds), Scientific realism quo vadis?, Synthese 180 (2), 2011.

Abstract

Duhem–Quine underdetermination plays a constructive role in epistemology by pinpointing the impact of non-empirical virtues or cognitive values on theory choice. Underdetermination thus contributes to illuminating the nature of scientific rationality. Scientists prefer and accept one account among empirical equivalent alternatives. The non-empirical virtues operating in science are laid open in such theory choice decisions. The latter act as an epistemological test tube in making explicit commitments to how scientific knowledge should be like.

Cited authors

Quine Willard Van Orman