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SUMMARY:Isaac Newton's scientific method - William Harper (University of W
 estern Ontario)
DTSTART:20130501T120000Z
DTEND:20130501T133000Z
UID:TALK44960@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Vashka dos Remedios
DESCRIPTION:On the basic Hypothetico-deductive model hypothesized principl
 es are tested by experimental verification of observable consequences draw
 n from them. Empirical success is limited to accurate prediction. Newton's
  inferences from phenomena realize an ideal of empirical success that is r
 icher than prediction. To realize Newton's richer conception of empirical 
 success a theory needs to do more than to accurately predict the phenomena
  it purports to explain\; in addition\, it needs to have the phenomena acc
 urately \nmeasure parameters of the theory. Newton's method aims to turn t
 heoretical questions into ones which can be empirically answered by measur
 ement from \nphenomena. Propositions inferred from phenomena are provision
 ally accepted as guides to further research. Newton employs theory-mediate
 d measurements to turn data into far more informative evidence than can be
  achieved by hypothetico-deductive confirmation alone. On his method devia
 tions from the model developed so far count as new theory-mediated phenome
 na to be \nexploited as carrying information to aid in developing a more a
 ccurate successor. All of these enrichments are exemplified in the classic
 al response to Mercury's perihelion problem. Contrary to Kuhn\, Newton's m
 ethod endorses the radical transition from his theory to Einstein's. These
  richer themes of Newton's method are\, also\, strikingly realized in the 
 response to a challenge to general relativity from a later problem posed b
 y Mercury's perihelion. We can also see Newton's method at work in cosmolo
 gy today in the support afforded to the (dark energy) cosmic expansion fro
 m the agreeing measurements from supernovae and cosmic microwave backgroun
 d radiation.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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