Tradition
Instrumentalism
Overview
position in the philosophy of science
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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In this illustration we have an epitome of the work accomplished everywhere by the scientist. It is his task to develop and to reduce to exact terms instruments of control for the varied activities of life. In its parts and as a whole each instrument is intelligently constructed and tested so that its make-up and function are exactly known. Because of this, reasoned belief now takes the place of unreflective trust…
John Dewey, Studies in Logical Theory
The author is tied to Instrumentalism in the knowledge graph.
Again, the question may be asked: Since instrumentalism admits that the table is really "there," why make such a fuss about whether it is there as a means or as an object of knowledge? Is not the distinction mere hair-splitting unless it is a way of smuggling in a quasi-idealistic dependence upon thought?
John Dewey, Essays in Experimental Logic
The author is tied to Instrumentalism in the knowledge graph; opens on Instrumentalism.
An instrument is "reliable" with respect to a given set of stimuli when to stimuli which are not relevantly different it gives always responses which are not relevantly different. An instrument is a "measure" of a set of stimuli which are serially ordered when its responses, in all cases where they are relevantly different, are arranged in a series in the same order. The "degree of accuracy" of an instrument which…
Bertrand Russell, The Analysis of Mind
States what Instrumentalism is.
Philosophers who discussed Instrumentalism
- George Berkeley
- Bas van Fraassen
- John Dewey
- Karl Popper
- Jerry Fodor
- Otto Neurath
- Paul Feyerabend
- William James
- Monroe Beardsley
- Georges Rey
Related ideas
- Empiricism
- Noumenon
- Belief
- Foundationalism
- Francis Bacon
- Neo-Kantianism
- George Berkeley
- Auguste Comte
- Carl Gustav Hempel
- Bas van Fraassen
- Isaac Newton
- Immanuel Kant
- John Locke
- John Dewey
- Idea
- Karl Popper
- Logical positivism
- Metaphysics
- Scientific theory
- William Whewell
- Richard Rorty
- Moritz Schlick
- Ontology
- Vienna Circle
Place in the tradition
Part of Outline of philosophy.
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