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How Values in Scientific Discovery and Pursuit Alter Theory Appraisal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Kevin C. Elliott  and
Daniel J. McKaughan
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Abstract

Philosophers of science readily acknowledge that nonepistemic values influence the discovery and pursuit of scientific theories, but many tend to regard these influences as epistemically uninteresting. The present paper challenges this position by identifying three avenues through which nonepistemic values associated with discovery and pursuit in contemporary pollution research influence theory appraisal: (1) by guiding the choice of questions and research projects, (2) by altering experimental design, and (3) by affecting the creation and further investigation of theories or hypotheses. This analysis indicates that the effects of these values are sufficiently complex and epistemically significant to merit further attention.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 76 , Issue 5 , December 2009 , pp. 598 - 611
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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