Deck 4: Philosophy of Science

Question 1

According to Kuhn, the Copernican view replaced the Ptolemaic because:

A) it explained current data better.
B) it made more correct predictions.
C) it turned out to be true.
D) the Ptolemaic system had socially unacceptable implications.
E) None of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Newton's derivation of the laws of planetary and terrestrial motion from a single set of axioms was a n):

A) demonstration of the power of Bacon's methods.
B) important success of empirical science.
C) important success of the rationalist approach to science.
D) refutation of Kepler's work.
E) refutation of Galileo's work.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Bacon was a:

A) relativist.
B) skeptic.
C) empiricist.
D) rationalist.
E) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In an experiment:

A) two competing hypotheses are tested to see which is better.
B) some observations are relevant, and others aren't.
C) observations are always theory neutral.
D) every observation is relevant.
E) None of the above

Question 5

In Bacon's method, the next step after making Tables of Presence and Absence is to:

A) apply deductive logic to the Tables.
B) construct Tables of Increase and Decrease.
C) compare the Tables of Presence and Absence to each other.
D) make guesses about the form and check them against the Tables.
E) deduce the character of the form under investigation.

Question 6

What Bacon calls "forms" we would be more likely to call:

A) objects.
B) theories.
C) methods.
D) properties.
E) maxims.

Question 7

Bacon is best known for:

A) defending the idea that the earth revolves around the sun.
B) his famous debate with Galileo.
C) writing the Sidereus Nuncius.
D) laying the foundations of scientific method.
E) his contributions to the science of astronomy.

Question 8

If Bacon's view is correct:

A) observations he made in the 17th century are still useful today.
B) theory-neutral observations are impossible.
C) scientists must avoid religious questions.
D) pure science need not have any practical applications.
E) science, like art, never progresses, but only changes.

Question 9

According to the author, the most influential of the 19th century social thinkers was:

A) Charles Darwin.
B) Karl Marx.
C) Albert Einstein.
D) Thomas Kuhn.
E) Francis Bacon.

Question 10

Science became a dominant force in our lives:

A) at the time of Socrates.
B) in 13th century France.
C) soon after the publication of Bacon's New Organon.
D) in 1632, when Galileo published his astronomical views.
E) during the last century

Question 11

An organon is a n)

A) system of scientific investigation
B) kind of star chart.
C) early type of astronomical telescope.
D) religious publication.
E) musical composition.

Question 12

Bacon believed the key to scientific investigation was:

A) deductive reasoning.
B) mathematics.
C) proper instruments.
D) observation.
E) inspiration.

Question 13

According to a rationalist approach to science:

A) observation is pointless.
B) observations must be theory neutral.
C) celestial and terrestrial objects are fundamentally different.
D) the collection of empirical data must be guided by theory.
E) science is not independent of social influences.

Question 14

If you were a scientist planning a research project, Kuhn's theory would tell you that you should:

A) hire only young scientists.
B) be sure all your researchers share the same paradigm.
C) move as quickly as possible from one paradigm to the next.
D) avoid anomalies.
E) Kuhn says nothing about what we "should" do.

Question 15

Which of the following would Bacon not have considered suitable for scientific study?

A) Weight
B) Redness
C) Atoms
D) Happiness
E) Acidity

Question 16

If Bentham were to study the nature of sweetness, which of the following would not be part of his method?

A) Making a list of sweet substances
B) Making a list of substances that are not sweet
C) Specifying which things are more or less sweet
D) Checking hypotheses about the nature of sweetness against the lists
E) Making a list of all the other properties possessed by sweet things

Question 17

Bacon would agree that:

A) there is only one way to discover truth.
B) math is the basis of all science.
C) observations must be guided by theory.
D) deductive reasoning is the key to science.
E) empiricism is the best approach to science.

Question 18

Bacon believes the purpose of scientific inquiry is to:

A) gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge.
B) improve the human intellect.
C) gain control of nature.
D) understand nature.
E) help eliminate our false beliefs.

Question 19

Bacon believed that the scientists before him:

A) had the right method, but didn't apply it correctly.
B) were primarily empiricists.
C) derived their axioms "from the senses and particulars."
D) were using the same method in science that they used in mathematics.
E) None of the above

Question 20

According to Marx, "scientific" is a n)

A) term that should be applied only to theories about physics, chemistry, and biology.
B) unfamiliar term.
C) term of high praise for any theory.
D) term denoting rigid thought.
E) term no social theorist would want applied to his theories.

Question 21

If Kuhn is correct, then:

A) what counts as a fact is socially determined.
B) only theory neutral observations are scientifically valid.
C) science will end when we all accept the same paradigm.
D) experiments are irrelevant to science.
E) None of the above

Question 22

Kuhn says a paradigm succeeds when:

A) it is proven right.
B) it attracts enough important followers.
C) enough evidence accumulates in its favor.
D) it solves all the problems left by its predecessor.
E) None of the above

Question 23

Which of the following criteria are not standardly applied when evaluating competing scientific theories?

A) Testability
B) Predictive power
C) Plausibility
D) Simplicity
E) Relevance

Question 24

Which of the following would Kuhn say was a paradigm?

A) Hypnosis
B) Isaac Newton
C) Newtonian physics
D) Abstract art
E) Astrology

Question 25

The point of Ackerman's "lost children" example is to:

A) show that science progresses because of the efforts of a few exceptional individuals.
B) illustrate Kuhn's theory.
C) show how science should be done.
D) show that credit for successes belongs to science as an institution, rather than to individual scientists.
E) show that credit for successes belongs to individuals who employ original techniques.

Question 26

A pre-requisite for the conduct of Normal Science, Kuhn tells us, is:

A) fruitful disagreement among scientists.
B) constant questioning of fundamental assumptions.
C) a shared paradigm among researchers.
D) continual progress from each paradigm to its successor.
E) All of the above

Question 27

The period of time between a scientist's rejection of one paradigm and his acceptance of another:

A) is the only time theory neutral observations are possible.
B) is determined by the age of the scientist.
C) is a period of puzzle-solving.
D) occurs during a time of normal science.
E) There is no such period of time.

Question 28

Kuhn's view is that:

A) scientific views only appear to change.
B) scientific development consists of long periods of calm, punctuated by occasional periods of sudden forward progress.
C) scientific progress is slow but steady.
D) the most reasonable scientific view must ultimately triumph.
E) None of the above

Question 29

According to Kuhn, a scientific theory is rejected:

A) when a falsifying observation is encountered and publicized.
B) based on a comparison of the theory with the world.
C) anytime it begins to produce severe anomalies.
D) when it produces severe anomalies and an alternative view is available.
E) under no circumstances.

Question 30

According to Popper, all observation is:

A) theory neutral.
B) theory laden.
C) unfalsifiable.
D) underdetermined by theory.
E) relative to a particular paradigm.

Question 31

Kuhn's view is that science:

A) gives the truth about nature and is progressive.
B) gives the truth about nature and isn't progressive.
C) is progressive, but can't provide the truth about nature.
D) can be progressive if we follow his advice.
E) None of the above

Question 32

An important characteristic of a paradigm is that is:

A) it must be original enough to attract adherents.
B) it should be correct, or at least close.
C) it should resolve all important problems in its field.
D) it should not be "open-ended."
E) All of the above

Question 33

Kuhn says that paradigm change:

A) is an irrational process.
B) consists of a struggle between two competing paradigms.
C) is determined by subjective factors.
D) occurs within a single paradigm.
E) None of the above

Question 34

For Popper, science can be distinguished from pseudo-science:

A) only by recognized practitioners of science.
B) because the former is falsifiable.
C) because the latter has been proven false.
D) because all swans are white.
E) because the former fails to make predictions.

Question 35

According to Kuhn, a scientific revolution:

A) occurs when the old paradigm is proved false.
B) occurs when the new paradigm is proved true.
C) is something that ought to occur, but never does in actual scientific practice.
D) is when a new paradigm builds upon and extends an old one.
E) None of the above

Question 36

According to Kuhn, a progressive accumulation of knowledge takes place:

A) during periods of normal science.
B) during paradigm shifts.
C) during crises.
D) only outside of science.
E) Never

Question 37

Which of the following is not a technical term of Kuhn's view?

A) Normal science
B) Falsification
C) Scientific revolution
D) Paradigm
E) All of the above

Question 38

Kuhn denies that:

A) science is progressive.
B) science is an institution.
C) scientific facts change over time.
D) science is productive.
E) None of the above.

Question 39

The efforts of a particular scientific researcher should be judged by:

A) his or her success or failure.
B) the success or failure of the research program he or she is taking part in.
C) how well the scientist carries out his or her role in the program.
D) the originality of his or her thought.
E) A scientist's efforts can't be judged.

Question 40

The discovery of a counter-instance to a paradigm:

A) falsifies the paradigm.
B) will cause the paradigm to be renounced by its followers.
C) provokes a crisis.
D) None of the above
E) All of the above

Question 41

Bacon thought that the same methods used in mathematics would provide a foundation for scientific method.

Question 42

According to Bacon, the proper objects of scientific investigation are characteristics of things readily apparent to the unaided senses.

Question 43

Bacon really didn't take sides in the debate between the rationalists and the empiricists.

Question 44

Bacon took an essentially rationalist approach to scientific inquiry.

Question 45

Bacon contributed more to the development of scientific method than to the accumulation of scientific fact.

Question 46

Bacon thought he could state, once and for all, how scientific investigations should be carried out.

Question 47

Richard Dawkins argues that evolution is a fact because:

A) it is consistent with the Bible. B most people believe it.
C) it is the best inference from the evidence.
D) there is no way to disprove it.
E) there is no other explanation of what we observe.

Question 48

What percentage of Americans reject evolution, believing instead that all of life was created by God within the last 10,000 years?

A) 10 B 20
C) 40
D) 60
E) 80

Question 49

Copernicus was the first thinker to publicly assert that the earth was not the center of the solar system.

Question 50

Bacon thought mathematical truths and truths of nature must be discovered in fundamentally different ways.

Question 51

According to Bacon, the first step in a scientific investigation is to carefully define the true nature of the "form" being studied.

Question 52

A theory-neutral observation would never need to be thrown out by later scientists.

Question 53

According to Bacon, the proper objects of scientific investigation are "forms."

Question 54

Bacon held that careful logical analysis was more important than mere observation.

Question 55

The composition of Tables of Presence and Absence must be guided by a clear understanding of the form under investigation.

Question 56

Which Philosopher argues for a "success" criterion in evaluating scientific theory?

A) Larry Laudan
B) P.D. Magnus
C) Irving Copi
D) Phillip Kitcher
E) Paul Feyerabend

Question 57

Ken Ham denies that evolution is a fact because:

A) it is not observable.
B) there is contrary evidence.
C) most people do not believe it.
D) it is too hard to understand.
E) he doesn't believe in facts.

Question 58

Bacon says a muster of instances must be made "in the manner of a history."

Question 59

The four most influential modern thinkers were all scientists.

Question 60

Bacon's advances were due in large part to the invention of the telescope and other scientific instruments.

Question 61

The word "experiment" comes from a Latin term meaning "to try."

Question 62

Bacon's gathering of observations into Tables was what rationalists would call an experiment.

Question 63

Kuhn denied the existence of any scientific facts.

Question 64

Bacon and Kuhn agree that scientific observations must be theory-neutral.

Question 65

Kuhn says nothing about how science ought to be conducted.

Question 66

In periods of normal science, scientists are primarily puzzle-solvers.

Question 67

According to Kuhn, research under a paradigm will inevitably lead to the abandonment of that paradigm.

Question 68

Kuhn's views were intended only to describe science in the 20th century.

Question 69

According to Kuhn, it is impossible to conduct research in the absence of a paradigm.

Question 70

It is impossible for a scientist who has been educated, trained, and conducted research under one paradigm to fully shift to another.

Question 71

Newton used Bacon's methods in deriving the laws of celestial and terrestrial motion.

Question 72

Bacon tells us how science ought to be conducted, rather than how it actually is.

Question 73

Kuhn showed that paradigm change always takes place within a larger, more inclusive paradigm.

Question 74

According to Kuhn, the scientists who turn out to be right are those whose theories best explain the available data.

Question 75

Kuhn deliberately portrayed scientific change as an irrational, subjective process.

Question 76

Kuhn says that it's good for a paradigm to leave a number of unsolved problems.

Question 77

If there are theory-neutral observations, then science should show steady progress.

Question 78

Kuhn shows us that there's no such thing as "normal science."

Question 79

Kuhn holds that textbooks play no meaningful role in science.

Question 80

The process of paradigm change involves a struggle between two opposed paradigms.