Modeling and Measurement: The Criterion of Empirical Grounding

A scientific theory offers models for the phenomena in its domain; these models involve theoretical quantities, and a model’s structure is the set of relations it imposes on these quantities. A fundamental demand in scientific practice is for those quantities to be clearly and feasibly related to me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of science 2012-12, Vol.79 (5), p.773-784
Main Author: van Fraassen, Bas C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic theory
Empirical evidence
Empirical research
Empiricism
Epistemology. Philosophy of science. Theory of knowledge
Experimental methods
Measurement
Measuring instruments
Momentum
Newtonianism
Parametric models
Philosophy
Philosophy of science
Quantum mechanics
Scientific research
Vacuum
Velocity
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Summary:A scientific theory offers models for the phenomena in its domain; these models involve theoretical quantities, and a model’s structure is the set of relations it imposes on these quantities. A fundamental demand in scientific practice is for those quantities to be clearly and feasibly related to measurement. This demand for empirical grounding can be articulated by displaying the theory-dependent criteria for a procedure to count as a measurement and for identifying the quantity it measures.
ISSN:0031-8248
1539-767X
DOI:10.1086/667847