Critical rationalism : a restatement and defence / David Miller.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, David (David W.), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Popper, Karl R. (Karl Raimund), 1902-1994. Logik der Forschung.

Popper, Karl R.

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Rationalism.

Induction (Logic).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (280 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, [Illinois] ; La Salle, Illinois : Open Court, 1994.

Summary:

David Miller elegantly and provocatively reformulates critical rationalism--the revolutionary approach to epistemology advocated by Karl Popper--by answering its most important critics. He argues for an approach to rationality freed from the debilitating authoritarian dependence on reasons and justification. "Miller presents a particularly useful and stimulating account of critical rationalism. His work is both interesting and controversial . . . of interest to anyone with concerns in epistemology or the philosophy of science." --Canadian Philosophical Reviews.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

1. Conjectural Knowledge

1.1 The Problem of Induction

1.2 Outline of Falsificationism

1.3 Conclusion

2. Popper's Solution of the Problem of Induction

2.1 Enumeration of Objections

2.2 Elimination of Objection

2.3 Conclusion

Technical Note

3. A Critique of Good Reasons

3.1 Introduction: The Constitution of Rationalism

3.2 Three Independent Theses

3.3 The Unobtainability of Good Reasons

3.4 The Unusability of Good Reasons

3.5 The Unneccessariness of Good Reasons

Technical Notes

4. Comprehensively Critical Rationalism: An Assessment

4.1 Bartley

4.2 Comprehensively Critical Rationalism

4.3 Criticisms of CCR

5. Hume: Bacon = Godel: Hilbert

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Hilbert and Godel

5.3 Bacon and Hume

5.4 Godel and Hume

5.5 Response to Godel

5.6 Four Responses to Hume

5.7 Three More Responses to Hume

5.8 Falsificationism and Some Variants

5.9 Two Final Responses to Hume

5.10 Conclusion

6. Three Lost Labours of Deductivism

6.1 Deductivism

6.2 Preferences among Theories

6.3 Scotching Skepticism

6.4 Cosmetic Rationalism

6.5 Pure Bayesianism

7. On the Maximization of Expected Futility

7.1 Introduction

7.2 The Requirement of Total Evidence

7.3 Good's Answer

7.4 Acquiring a Necktie

7.5 Criticism of Good's Answer

7.6 Probability Kinematics

7.7 Acquiring a Necktie (continued)

7.8 Conclusion

8. Diverging Distributions

8.1 Introduction

8.2 The Logistic Function

8.3 The Binomial Distribution

8.4 A Chaotic Distribution

8.5 Another Chaotic Distribution

8.6 Scientific Objectivity

8.7 Approximate Distributions

8.8 Conclusion

9. Objective Probabilities

9.1 Introduction

9.2 The Frequency Interpretation of Probability.

9.3 The Falsifiability of Probability Statements

9.4 The Propensity Interpretation of Probability

9.5 Crticisms of the Propensity Interpretation

9.6 Probability as Instantaneous Frequency

10. Truth, Truthlikeness, Approximate Truth

10.1 The Problem of Verisimilitude

10.2 Verisimilitude as an Aim

10.3 An Alternative Approach

10.4 Some Logical Notes

11. Impartial Truth

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-8126-9940-8

OCLC:

951064890