Discussing What Would Happen

The Role of Thought Experiments in Galileo’s Dialogues

Bibliographic Data

ID10705690
AuthorsCarla Rita Palmerino (0000-0003-1240-1808, Radboud University Nijmegen, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume85
Issue5
Pages906-918
Publication date2018-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophy of Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8248 • E-ISSN: 1539-767X
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1086/699717
OpenAlexW2884086802
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Thought experiments play an important epistemic, rhetorical, and didactic function in Galileo’s dialogues. In some cases, Salviati, Sagredo, and Simplicio agree about what would happen in an imaginary scenario and try to understand whether the predicted outcome is compatible with their respective theoretical assumptions. There are, however, also situations in which the predictions of the three interlocutors turn out to be theory laden. Salviati, Sagredo, and Simplicio not only disagree about what would happen, but they reject one another’s solutions as question begging and sometimes even dismiss one another’s thought experiments as misleading or nonsensical

Begging · Epistemology · Function (biology) · Galileo (satellite navigation) · Linguistics · Mathematical economics · Outcome (game theory) · Philosophy of science · Psychoanalysis · Rhetorical question · The Imaginary · Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies · Historical Philosophy and Science · History of Science and Medicine · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology

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