Understanding Hypothetico-Deductive & Cartesian Methods
Understanding the Hypothetico-Deductive Method
The hypothetico-deductive method is a description of the scientific method.
Traditionally, from the time of Roger Bacon, it was considered that science was based on the observation of facts and that repeated observation of comparable phenomena led to the extraction, by induction, of general laws that govern these phenomena.
Later, Karl Popper rejected the possibility of deriving general laws from induction. He argued that scientific hypotheses are, in
Read MoreUnderstanding Key Concepts in Epistemology
Coherentism: Doctrine of truth that requires no unique correspondence between thought and world, but overall agreement and procedural consistency.
Knowledge: Collective act of intellectual apprehension of the world.
Belief: Knowledge that cannot be proven.
Deduction: A procedure that reflexively derives specific conclusions from universal premises.
Dogma: Knowledge that needs no proof because it cannot be doubted.
Dogmatism: Belief in the possibility of reaching a basic knowledge with absolutely no doubt
Read MoreLocke’s Ideas: Tolerance, Church-State Separation, and Individual Freedom
Locke: Historical Context
Locke lived during a turbulent period in 17th-century England, marked by conflict between the landed aristocracy, who supported absolute monarchy, and the urban bourgeoisie, who favored a republic. The early 17th century was characterized by religious and political intolerance, centralized power, economic interventionism, and violence. The latter half of the century saw the final defeat of the monarchy.
Before this, the crown had been restored to the Stuart dynasty following
Read MoreNature, Culture, and Human Behavior
Nature and Culture
Nature: The concept of nature is a dynamic Greek idea. During the Middle Ages, ‘Phycis’ as a whole, along with the scholastic idea of nature, maintained that touch of reality subject to change. For some, nature is a machine that operates according to a set of laws.
Culture: Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, science, art, and all those habits that humans acquire as members of a society. There are two types of culture:
- Objective Culture: Cultural production objective
Understanding Philosophy and Scientific Knowledge
Philosophy
Philosophy attempts to justify general knowledge and science. It is the activity of thinking that originated in the 6th century BC in Greek colonies in Asia Minor. It addresses the totality of beings (general knowledge), seeking to understand and study these entities in the light of reason, searching for the leading causes of all things.
Characteristics of Philosophy
- Rational: Based on reason.
- Rigorous: Methodical and precise.
- Thoughtful: Focuses on first causes.
- Abstract: Deals with intelligible
Thomas Aquinas on Faith, Reason, and Natural Law
Thomas Aquinas on the Harmony of Faith and Reason
This text, belonging to Thomas Aquinas’s *Summa Contra Gentiles*, reflects Aquinas’s strong conviction that God is real and that everything in the world exists through God’s creation. Because God is the author of the world, reason and faith are intertwined. The text deals with this concept, arguing that truths inspired by natural reason are not contrary to the truths of faith. Thus, the whole of innate reason is evidently true, just as what we receive