On the Possibility of Crucial Experiments in Biology
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8396980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tudor M Baetu (0000-0002-2500-4433, University of Bristol, corresponding author), Tudor Baetu |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 70 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 407-429 |
| Publication date | 2019-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0882 • E-ISSN: 1464-3537 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjps/axx013 |
| OpenAlex | W2578236361 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 32 |
The article analyses in detail the Meselson–Stahl experiment, identifying two novel difficulties for the crucial experiment account, namely, the fragility of the experimental results and the fact that the hypotheses under scrutiny were not mutually exclusive. The crucial experiment account is rejected in favour of an experimental-mechanistic account of the historical significance of the experiment, emphasizing that the experiment generated data about the biochemistry of DNA replication that is independent of the testing of the semi-conservative, conservative, and dispersive hypotheses. 1. Introduction2. The Meselson–Stahl Experiment3. Some Difficulties for the Crucial Experiment Account 3.1. Additional experiments were required3.2. Simplicity considerations are unconvincing3.3. The fragility of the experimental results3.4. The problematic interpretation of falsifyng results3.5. Not all possible hypotheses considered or tested3.6. The tested hypotheses were not mutually exclusive4. The Historical and Scientific Significance of the Meselson–Stahl Experiment 4.1. The challenge for the crucial experiment account4.2. A mechanistic perspective on the experiment4.3. The experimental design and its independence from theoretical speculations4.4. The advantages of a ‘bottom-up’ mechanistic account5. Conclusion
Economics · Epistemology · Experimental data · Fragility · Independence (probability theory) · Interpretation (philosophy) · Perspective (graphical) · Physics · Political science · Positive economics · Replication (statistics) · Scrutiny · Simplicity · Statistics · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Evolution and Genetic Dynamics · Law · Mathematics · Origins and Evolution of Life · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science
Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge
Explaining the Brain
Tracking Truth
Representing and Intervening
Experimental Series and the Justification of Temin’s DNA Provirus Hypothesis
From interventions to mechanistic explanations
Generalization and Discovery by Assuming Conserved Mechanisms
Thinking about Mechanisms
Main Trends in Recent Philosophy
The Crux of Crucial Experiments
The ‘Big Picture’
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.57 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2023 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |