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Pursuit and inquisitive reasons.

Will Fleisher1

  • 1Northeastern University, 177 Huntington Ave, 10th floor, Boston, MA, 02115, United States.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
|May 26, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Scientists can rationally pursue promising theories even without direct evidence. Pursuitworthiness considerations are a type of non-evidential epistemic reason, termed inquisitive reasons, crucial for guiding scientific inquiry.

Keywords:
Epistemic reasonsGeneral philosophy of scienceInquiryPursuitPursuitworthinessSocial epistemology

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Epistemology
  • Scientific Methodology

Background:

  • Inquirers may rationally pursue theories not favored by current evidence.
  • Pursuitworthiness considerations, like testability or usefulness of analogies, guide theory selection.
  • The nature of these considerations (epistemic vs. practical) is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To categorize pursuitworthiness considerations within the framework of epistemic and practical reasons.
  • To introduce and define 'inquisitive reasons' as a new class of non-evidential epistemic reasons.
  • To establish that pursuitworthiness considerations are epistemic, not practical, reasons.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of traditional 'promise reasons' in philosophy of science.
  • Comparison with social epistemic reasons ('social inquisitive reasons').
  • Identification of shared features with established epistemic reasons.

Main Results:

  • Pursuitworthiness considerations and social inquisitive reasons share non-evidential pursuit and focus on successful inquiry.
  • A new category, 'inquisitive reasons,' is proposed, encompassing both types.
  • Inquisitive reasons exhibit epistemic features: connection to aims, explanatory independence, and right-kind/wrong-kind distinctions.

Conclusions:

  • Pursuitworthiness considerations are a form of non-evidential epistemic reason, termed inquisitive reasons.
  • These reasons are vital for guiding scientific inquiry and theory development.
  • Inquisitive reasons belong to an independent domain of epistemic normativity, distinct from evidential reasons.