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Evidence-based Knowledge Synthesis and Hypothesis Validation: Navigating Biomedical Knowledge Bases via Explainable AI and Agentic Systems
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Knowledge, adequacy, and approximate truth.

Wesley Buckwalter1, John Turri2

  • 1Department of Philosophy, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

Consciousness and Cognition
|June 1, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People can gain knowledge from false approximations if they are practically adequate. This finding supports the representational adequacy account over the factivity hypothesis in understanding knowledge.

Keywords:
ApproximationKnowledgePractical interestsTheory of mindTruth

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Area of Science:

  • Epistemology
  • Philosophy of Science

Background:

  • Approximations are common in science and daily life, often being close to truth but technically false.
  • The concept of knowledge is traditionally linked to truth, posing a challenge for understanding knowledge of false approximations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether false approximations can be considered knowledge.
  • To experimentally test the 'factivity account' versus the 'representational adequacy account' of knowledge.

Main Methods:

  • An experimental methodology was employed to assess how individuals attribute knowledge.
  • Participants evaluated scenarios involving agents providing either practically inadequate or adequate false approximations.

Main Results:

  • When an agent provided a false but practically adequate approximation, participants tended to attribute knowledge.
  • This outcome supports the representational adequacy account, which posits knowledge is possible if approximations are sufficient for the purpose.

Conclusions:

  • Empirical evidence suggests that truth is not strictly necessary for knowledge attribution.
  • The findings indicate that 'representational adequacy' plays a crucial role in how people conceptualize knowledge, supporting a nuanced view where truth is a feature of prototypical knowledge rather than a strict requirement.