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The epistemology of thought experiments: A non-eliminativist, non-platonic account

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Clatterbuck, Hayley
Copyright Year	2013
Abstract	Several major breakthroughs in the history of physics have been prompted not by new empirical data but by thought experiments. James Robert Brown and John Norton have developed accounts of how thought experiments can yield such advances. Brown argues that knowledge gained via thought experiments demands a Platonic explanation; thought experiments for Brown are a window into the Platonic realm of the laws of nature. Norton argues that thought experiments are just cleverly disguised inductive or deductive arguments, so no new account of their epistemology is needed. In this paper, I argue that although we do not need to invoke any Platonic insight to explain thought experimentation, Norton’s eliminativist account fails to capture the unique epistemological importance of thought experiments qua thought experiments. I then present my own account, according to which thought experiments are a particular type of inductive inference that is uniquely suited to generate new breakthroughs.
Starting Page	309
Ending Page	329
Page Count	21
File Format	PDF
ISSN	18794912
Journal	European Journal for Philosophy of Science
Volume Number	3
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	18794920
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2013-06-14
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Thought experiments Galileo’s ship Platonism Empiricism Philosophy of Science
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Philosophy History and Philosophy of Science

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