Ceteris Paribus in Conservative Epistemic Change
(2009)- Abstract
- This work contrasts conservative or minimally mutilating revisions of empirical theories as they are identified in the presently dominant AGM model of formal belief revision and the structuralist program for the reconstruction of empirical theories. The aim is to make understandable why both approaches only partly succeed in substantially informing and formally restraining the issue. With respect to the rationality of minimal change, the overall result is negative. Readers with an interest in formal epistemology are provided with application cases (mercury anomaly, revision of early thermo-dynamics, introduction of the neutrino), the historically inclined reader is offered a systematic perspective. The discussion can largely be followed... (More)
- This work contrasts conservative or minimally mutilating revisions of empirical theories as they are identified in the presently dominant AGM model of formal belief revision and the structuralist program for the reconstruction of empirical theories. The aim is to make understandable why both approaches only partly succeed in substantially informing and formally restraining the issue. With respect to the rationality of minimal change, the overall result is negative. Readers with an interest in formal epistemology are provided with application cases (mercury anomaly, revision of early thermo-dynamics, introduction of the neutrino), the historically inclined reader is offered a systematic perspective. The discussion can largely be followed without a background in formal logic. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1471739
- author
- Zenker, Frank LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Prof Olsson, Erik, University of Lund
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- minimal change, mercury anomaly, ceteris paribus laws, completeness assumptions, epistemic entrenchment
- pages
- 145 pages
- publisher
- Peter Lang Publishing Group
- defense location
- Hamburg
- defense date
- 2007-09-07 14:00:00
- ISBN
- 978-3-631-57283-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- bf061732-2295-446d-9acb-0acf85dbbed5 (old id 1471739)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 10:08:39
- date last changed
- 2020-03-23 10:57:58
@phdthesis{bf061732-2295-446d-9acb-0acf85dbbed5, abstract = {{This work contrasts conservative or minimally mutilating revisions of empirical theories as they are identified in the presently dominant AGM model of formal belief revision and the structuralist program for the reconstruction of empirical theories. The aim is to make understandable why both approaches only partly succeed in substantially informing and formally restraining the issue. With respect to the rationality of minimal change, the overall result is negative. Readers with an interest in formal epistemology are provided with application cases (mercury anomaly, revision of early thermo-dynamics, introduction of the neutrino), the historically inclined reader is offered a systematic perspective. The discussion can largely be followed without a background in formal logic.}}, author = {{Zenker, Frank}}, isbn = {{978-3-631-57283-2}}, keywords = {{minimal change; mercury anomaly; ceteris paribus laws; completeness assumptions; epistemic entrenchment}}, language = {{eng}}, publisher = {{Peter Lang Publishing Group}}, title = {{Ceteris Paribus in Conservative Epistemic Change}}, year = {{2009}}, }