Ronald N Giere
Biographic Data
| ID | 126977 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ronald N Giere |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ronald N |
| FAMILY NAME | Giere |
| SIGNATURE | GIERE R N |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Minnesota |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 403 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1969 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Feyerabend's perspectivism
Scientific Observing
No one questions that the claims of contemporary scientists are in some sense based on the observation of nature. The problem is how to understand the scientific process of observing nature. The first step is to realize that virtually all scientific observation now involves instrumentation. This chapter argues that observation using instruments is perspectival in roughly the same ways that normal human color vision is perspectival. It considers i…
An agent-based conception of models and scientific representation
Scientific perspectivism: Behind the stage door
Scientific Representation and Empiricist Structuralism
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The Role of Agency in Distributed Cognitive Systems
In previous publications I have argued that much scientific activity should be thought of as involving the operation of distributed cognitive systems. Since these contributions to the cognitive study of science appear in venues not necessarily frequented by philosophers of science, I begin with a brief introduction to the notion of a distributed cognitive system. I then describe what I take to be an exemplary case of a scientific distributed cogn…
Scientific Perspectivism
How Models Are Used to Represent Reality
Most recent philosophical thought about the scientific representation of the world has focused on dyadic relationships between language-like entities and the world, particularly the semantic relationships of reference and truth. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources, I argue that we should focus on the pragmatic activity of representing , so that the basic representational relationship has the form: Scientists use models to represent aspects o…
The Problem of Agency in Scientific Distributed Cognitive Systems
From the perspective of cognitive science, it is illuminating to think of much contemporary scientific research as taking place in distributed cognitive systems. This is particularly true of large-scale experimental and observational systems such as the Hubble Telescope. Clark, Hutchins, Knorr-Cetina, and Latour insist or imply such a move requires expanding our notions of knowledge, mind, and even consciousness. Whether this is correct seems to …
A New Program for Philosophy of Science
I contend that Janet Kourany's “A Philosophy of Science for the Twenty-First Century” contains three levels of projects: (1) a naturalistic project, (2) a critical project, and (3) a political project. The naturalistic project is already well established. The critical project is less valued and less established within the profession, but seems a worthy and achievable goal. The political project, I argue, takes one outside the professional pursuit…
Distributed Cognition: Where the Cognitive and the Social Merge
Among the many contested boundaries in science studies is that between the cognitive and the social. Here, we are concerned to question this boundary from a perspective within the cognitive sciences based on the notion of distributed cognition. We first present two of many contemporary sources of the notion of distributed cognition, one from the study of artificial neural networks and one from cognitive anthropology. We then proceed to reinterpre…
Discussion Note: Distributed Cognition in Epistemic Cultures
In Epistemic Cultures (1999), Karin Knorr Cetina argues that different scientific fields exhibit different epistemic cultures. She claims that in high energy physics (HEP) individual persons are displaced as epistemic subjects in favor of experiments themselves. In molecular biology (MB), by contrast, individual persons remain the primary epistemic subjects. Using Ed Hutchins’ (1995) account of navigation aboard a traditional US Navy ship as a pr…
Agent Based Science Teaching
In content based science teaching, the emphasis is on the eFective teaching and iearning of currently accepted scientific theories and experimental results. This is the type of science teaching one finds typicaly in college and university courses designed for majors and aspiring scientists particularly in the natural and biomedical sciences
Thomas S. Kuhn (18 July 1922 - 17 June 1996)
Scientific Inference: Two Points of View
This short paper serves as an introduction to a debate between representatives of two fundamentally different points of view regarding the nature of scientific inference. Colin Howson and Peter Urbach represent a Bayesian point of view and Deborah Mayo represents a version of classical statistics called error statistics. The paper begins by reviewing earlier versions of the same two points of view due to Rudolf Carnap and Hans Reichenbach, respec…
The Scientist as Adult
My concern is with the possible implications of research in developmental psychology for understanding the workings of modern science. I agree both with Gopnik's general naturalistic orientation and with her more specific claims about scientists as cognitive agents. Neither the formal structure of propositions nor the social structure of scientific communities provides sufficient resources for the understanding we seek. So I agree that the empiri…
The Cognitive Structure of Scientific Theories
This paper explores a new reason for preferring a model-theoretic approach to understanding the nature of scientific theories. Identifying the models in philosophers' model-theoretic accounts of theories with the concepts in cognitive scientists' accounts of categorization suggests a structure to families of models far richer than has commonly been assumed. Using classical mechanics as an example, it is argued that families of models may be “mapp…
Science and Technology Studies: Prospects for an Enlightened Postmodern Synthesis
The argument that recent attempts to model technology studies on science studies have consequences for approaches to science studies as well is presented. In particular, the move to technology studies through science studies counts against the existing extreme pictures of science, "enlightenment rationalism," and "constructivisim," which are identified with modernism and postmodernism, respectively. Some components for a moderate "enlightened pos…
The Cognitive Construction of Scientific Knowledge (Response to Pickering)
1. Bruno Latour, Philippe Mauguin and Genevieve Teil, 'A Note on SocioTechnical Graphs', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 33-57. 2. Culminating in W. Bernard Carlson and Michael E. Gorman, 'Socio-Technical Graphs and Cognitive Maps: A Response to Latour, Mauguin and Teil', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 81-91. (Page numbers of quotations from this Response are given in the text.) 3. See M. Cal…
Cognitive Models of Science
Syntax, Semantics and Human Interests
intellectual medium. (My student, Stephen Downes, has just completed a PhD documenting Simon's gyrations on this matter.) To put the point vividly: would Kepler or his contemporaries have been satisfied with the outputs of Simon's machines as constituting a scientific discovery? No doubt, they would be put off by the fact that machines are producing the outputs. But probably Simon would be unimpressed by an objection of that sort. In that case, w…
Philosophy of science and its discontents
Computer Discovery and Human Interests
Scientific rationality as instrumental rationality
Dorothy Nelkin: 1988 Bernal Prize Recipient
How Models Are Used to Represent Reality
Most recent philosophical thought about the scientific representation of the world has focused on dyadic relationships between language-like entities and the world, particularly the semantic relationships of reference and truth. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources, I argue that we should focus on the pragmatic activity of representing , so that the basic representational relationship has the form: Scientists use models to represent aspects o…
Scientific Perspectivism
An agent-based conception of models and scientific representation
Distributed Cognition: Where the Cognitive and the Social Merge
Among the many contested boundaries in science studies is that between the cognitive and the social. Here, we are concerned to question this boundary from a perspective within the cognitive sciences based on the notion of distributed cognition. We first present two of many contemporary sources of the notion of distributed cognition, one from the study of artificial neural networks and one from cognitive anthropology. We then proceed to reinterpre…
Philosophy of Science Naturalized
In arguing a “role for history,“ Kuhn was proposing a naturalized philosophy of science. That, I argue, is the only viable approach to the philosophy of science. I begin by exhibiting the main general objections to a naturalistic approach. These objections, I suggest, are equally powerful against nonnaturalistic accounts. I review the failure of two nonnaturalistic approaches, methodological foundationism (Carnap, Reichenbach, and Popper) and met…
History and Philosophy of Science: Intimate Relationship or Marriage of Convenience
Scientific rationality as instrumental rationality
A New Program for Philosophy of Science
I contend that Janet Kourany's “A Philosophy of Science for the Twenty-First Century” contains three levels of projects: (1) a naturalistic project, (2) a critical project, and (3) a political project. The naturalistic project is already well established. The critical project is less valued and less established within the profession, but seems a worthy and achievable goal. The political project, I argue, takes one outside the professional pursuit…
Discussion Note: Distributed Cognition in Epistemic Cultures
In Epistemic Cultures (1999), Karin Knorr Cetina argues that different scientific fields exhibit different epistemic cultures. She claims that in high energy physics (HEP) individual persons are displaced as epistemic subjects in favor of experiments themselves. In molecular biology (MB), by contrast, individual persons remain the primary epistemic subjects. Using Ed Hutchins’ (1995) account of navigation aboard a traditional US Navy ship as a pr…
The Cognitive Structure of Scientific Theories
This paper explores a new reason for preferring a model-theoretic approach to understanding the nature of scientific theories. Identifying the models in philosophers' model-theoretic accounts of theories with the concepts in cognitive scientists' accounts of categorization suggests a structure to families of models far richer than has commonly been assumed. Using classical mechanics as an example, it is argued that families of models may be “mapp…
The Role of Agency in Distributed Cognitive Systems
In previous publications I have argued that much scientific activity should be thought of as involving the operation of distributed cognitive systems. Since these contributions to the cognitive study of science appear in venues not necessarily frequented by philosophers of science, I begin with a brief introduction to the notion of a distributed cognitive system. I then describe what I take to be an exemplary case of a scientific distributed cogn…
The Problem of Agency in Scientific Distributed Cognitive Systems
From the perspective of cognitive science, it is illuminating to think of much contemporary scientific research as taking place in distributed cognitive systems. This is particularly true of large-scale experimental and observational systems such as the Hubble Telescope. Clark, Hutchins, Knorr-Cetina, and Latour insist or imply such a move requires expanding our notions of knowledge, mind, and even consciousness. Whether this is correct seems to …
The Cognitive Construction of Scientific Knowledge (Response to Pickering)
1. Bruno Latour, Philippe Mauguin and Genevieve Teil, 'A Note on SocioTechnical Graphs', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 33-57. 2. Culminating in W. Bernard Carlson and Michael E. Gorman, 'Socio-Technical Graphs and Cognitive Maps: A Response to Latour, Mauguin and Teil', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 81-91. (Page numbers of quotations from this Response are given in the text.) 3. See M. Cal…
Propensity and necessity
Bayesian statistics and biased procedures
Scientific perspectivism: Behind the stage door
Scientific Inference: Two Points of View
This short paper serves as an introduction to a debate between representatives of two fundamentally different points of view regarding the nature of scientific inference. Colin Howson and Peter Urbach represent a Bayesian point of view and Deborah Mayo represents a version of classical statistics called error statistics. The paper begins by reviewing earlier versions of the same two points of view due to Rudolf Carnap and Hans Reichenbach, respec…
The Scientist as Adult
My concern is with the possible implications of research in developmental psychology for understanding the workings of modern science. I agree both with Gopnik's general naturalistic orientation and with her more specific claims about scientists as cognitive agents. Neither the formal structure of propositions nor the social structure of scientific communities provides sufficient resources for the understanding we seek. So I agree that the empiri…
Scientific Representation and Empiricist Structuralism
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Science and Technology Studies: Prospects for an Enlightened Postmodern Synthesis
The argument that recent attempts to model technology studies on science studies have consequences for approaches to science studies as well is presented. In particular, the move to technology studies through science studies counts against the existing extreme pictures of science, "enlightenment rationalism," and "constructivisim," which are identified with modernism and postmodernism, respectively. Some components for a moderate "enlightened pos…
Computer Discovery and Human Interests
An Orthodox Statistical Resolution of the Paradox of Confirmation
Several authors, e.g. Patrick Suppes and I. J. Good, have recently argued that the paradox of confirmation can be resolved within the developing subjective Bayesian account of inductive reasoning. The aim of this paper is to show that the paradox can also be resolved by the rival orthodox account of hypothesis testing currently employed by most statisticians and scientists. The key to the orthodox statistical resolution is the rejection of a gene…
Feyerabend's perspectivism
Syntax, Semantics and Human Interests
intellectual medium. (My student, Stephen Downes, has just completed a PhD documenting Simon's gyrations on this matter.) To put the point vividly: would Kepler or his contemporaries have been satisfied with the outputs of Simon's machines as constituting a scientific discovery? No doubt, they would be put off by the fact that machines are producing the outputs. But probably Simon would be unimpressed by an objection of that sort. In that case, w…
Dorothy Nelkin: 1988 Bernal Prize Recipient
Bayesian statistics and biased procedures
Gambling with Truth: An Essay on Induction and the Aims of Science
An Orthodox Statistical Resolution of the Paradox of Confirmation
Several authors, e.g. Patrick Suppes and I. J. Good, have recently argued that the paradox of confirmation can be resolved within the developing subjective Bayesian account of inductive reasoning. The aim of this paper is to show that the paradox can also be resolved by the rival orthodox account of hypothesis testing currently employed by most statisticians and scientists. The key to the orthodox statistical resolution is the rejection of a gene…
The Significance Test Controversy
History and Philosophy of Science: Intimate Relationship or Marriage of Convenience
Popper and the non-Bayesian tradition: Comments on Richard Jeffrey
Publications by Allan Birnbaum
Allan Birnbaum's conception of statistical evidence
Propensity and necessity
Scientific Discovery, Logic, and Rationality . Thomas Nickles
ESP and Psychokinesis: A Philosophical Examination
Philosophy of Science Naturalized
In arguing a “role for history,“ Kuhn was proposing a naturalized philosophy of science. That, I argue, is the only viable approach to the philosophy of science. I begin by exhibiting the main general objections to a naturalistic approach. These objections, I suggest, are equally powerful against nonnaturalistic accounts. I review the failure of two nonnaturalistic approaches, methodological foundationism (Carnap, Reichenbach, and Popper) and met…
Explaining Science: A Cognitive Approach
Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World
Computer Discovery and Human Interests
Scientific rationality as instrumental rationality
Dorothy Nelkin: 1988 Bernal Prize Recipient
Syntax, Semantics and Human Interests
intellectual medium. (My student, Stephen Downes, has just completed a PhD documenting Simon's gyrations on this matter.) To put the point vividly: would Kepler or his contemporaries have been satisfied with the outputs of Simon's machines as constituting a scientific discovery? No doubt, they would be put off by the fact that machines are producing the outputs. But probably Simon would be unimpressed by an objection of that sort. In that case, w…
Philosophy of science and its discontents
The Cognitive Construction of Scientific Knowledge (Response to Pickering)
1. Bruno Latour, Philippe Mauguin and Genevieve Teil, 'A Note on SocioTechnical Graphs', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 33-57. 2. Culminating in W. Bernard Carlson and Michael E. Gorman, 'Socio-Technical Graphs and Cognitive Maps: A Response to Latour, Mauguin and Teil', Social Studies of Science, Vol. 22, No. 1 (February 1992), 81-91. (Page numbers of quotations from this Response are given in the text.) 3. See M. Cal…
Cognitive Models of Science
Science and Technology Studies: Prospects for an Enlightened Postmodern Synthesis
The argument that recent attempts to model technology studies on science studies have consequences for approaches to science studies as well is presented. In particular, the move to technology studies through science studies counts against the existing extreme pictures of science, "enlightenment rationalism," and "constructivisim," which are identified with modernism and postmodernism, respectively. Some components for a moderate "enlightened pos…
The Cognitive Structure of Scientific Theories
This paper explores a new reason for preferring a model-theoretic approach to understanding the nature of scientific theories. Identifying the models in philosophers' model-theoretic accounts of theories with the concepts in cognitive scientists' accounts of categorization suggests a structure to families of models far richer than has commonly been assumed. Using classical mechanics as an example, it is argued that families of models may be “mapp…
The Scientist as Adult
My concern is with the possible implications of research in developmental psychology for understanding the workings of modern science. I agree both with Gopnik's general naturalistic orientation and with her more specific claims about scientists as cognitive agents. Neither the formal structure of propositions nor the social structure of scientific communities provides sufficient resources for the understanding we seek. So I agree that the empiri…
Thomas S. Kuhn (18 July 1922 - 17 June 1996)
Epistemology (34 works) · Philosophy (34 works) · Philosophy and History of Science (26 works) · Computer Science (17 works) · Psychology (15 works) · Sociology (14 works) · Philosophy of science (13 works) · Cognitive science (12 works) · Philosophy of language (8 works) · Artificial Intelligence (7 works)