Philosophy of science, Erasmus, Business and administration (bedrijfskunde)
H1
Generalizability is important because science has a clear goal: it wants to explain and understand
phenomena.
Trustworthiness of scientific results requires controllability and controllability requires repeatability.
Scientific knowledge
1. Controllability (transparent and repeatable)
2. Generalisability
3. Objectivity: independence
4. Using methods of research that are accepted as valid among scholars
5. Clarity and simplicity, parsimony: the simplest explanation that explains the greatest number of
phenomena should be used.
Misconceptions:
1. Only empirical research counts as scientific : Not true because we also need conceptual analysis,
we need to know the theoretical concepts to study them, bv: what is an organization? It needs to
be explained, you cannot empirically prove it.
2. Scientific research is only descriptive, never prescriptive: not true, management research is also
prescriptive.
Argumentum ad ignorentiam: something is true because there is no proof that it's untrue -> fallacious
reasoning.
Petito principii: the claim one has to prove is secretly taken for granted in one of the premises.
False dilemma: false options are presented.
What is reasonable:
1. correct methods of research and argumentation (methodology, qualitative, quantitative)
2. The status of acquired scientific knowledge (epistomology): the explanation of phenomenon will
provide for possibilities t come up with reasonable predictions
3. The nature of social reality (ontology) idealism & realism
Idealism: all natural phenomena are nothing more than mental presentations
Realism: reality is always observed in an pre-shaped way; what you see is real, but it's only real to you.
Kant: our mind lays a scheme of order upon the world and actively constructs reality. What we see gets
its shape because of our mindset.
Critical rationalism: knowledge that is for sure can only be attained by way of critical reflection.
Ecumenical: we need different ways to categorize and conceptualize social reality
H2
Positivism: only knowledge based on observation and experience was to be counted as scientific
knowledge. Only empirical research can bear the mark scientific and the normative beliefs cannot be
backed scientifically, because science supposedly can only be descriptive.
Enlightenment: knowledge of the worlds can only be gained by using two central human capacities:
1. Think rationally
2. Learn from observations and experiences.
, Positivism: extreme form of empiricism: science should be based solely on observation and experiences.
There are only synthetic claims a posteriori: claims directly or indirectly based on empirical
observations. Claims that are not based upon what is empirically observable are nonsense-claims.
Logical positivism: only knowledge that can be traced back to observational data can be qualified as
knowledge. Kernwoorden: logica en theorieen gebasseerd op waarnemingen.
Principle of logical reduction: all statements should be reduced to observations using logic.
Linguistic turn: waarheid in de taal
1. Logical inconsistency (untruth), er is hier sprake van contradictie. de waarheid is non-
contradictie: er zijn nooit twee ware uitspraken die elkaar tegenspreken. => corespondence
theory of truth
2. Logical truth: analytic statements => coherency theory of truth
3. Synthetic statements (need to observe)
4. Metaphysics: we can't proof it
The correspondence model and the coherence model of truth
Correspondence model of truth (positivists): a claim is true if it correspondence exactly with reality.
Whether the claims are true can only be confirmed empirically. There is a problem with this theory is
that not everything is observable. There are also theoretical concepts like economical recession and
dispositional properties: solubility, flexibility, aggressiveness: these are properties a person or object can
have, but which reveal only in particular circumstances.
What makes a good theoretical concept:
1. A concept should be usable in more than one context (robustness)
2. The claims that one makes using these concepts, should fit into a more general theory (fit)
3. Using a particular concept, one should be able to make trustworthy predictions about the
occurrence of the phenomenon referred to by that concept (predictability)
Coherence model of truth: there will always be many reason giving considerations that support the truth
of a particular claim. Coherence is a function of cohesion and mutual support.
Analytic claims: are true if they can be derived from various other claims on various levels of abstraction.
Circle is round.
Synthetic claim is checked by observing reality, method of verification is observation.
The standard model of the sciences: process-oriented.
Consensustheorie: zolang niemand aannemelijk kan maken dat het niet waar is, is de theorie
waar.(Kuhn)
Pragmatic theory of truth: statement is true because we can do something with it.
Theoretical concepts: cannot be reduced to observations => evolutie, kracht. Ze leiden tot nieuwe
kennis en moeten iets toevoegen wat niet terug komt in de observatie.
Dispositional concepts: refer to latent attributes (flexibility, resilience. Problem: applicable only under
conditions when latent attributes become manifest and observable?
LP allow: => theoretical cycle.
Theoretical and dispositional concepts
Induction (probability, likely to be true)
The induction problem
Deductie: New information cannot change the truth
H1
Generalizability is important because science has a clear goal: it wants to explain and understand
phenomena.
Trustworthiness of scientific results requires controllability and controllability requires repeatability.
Scientific knowledge
1. Controllability (transparent and repeatable)
2. Generalisability
3. Objectivity: independence
4. Using methods of research that are accepted as valid among scholars
5. Clarity and simplicity, parsimony: the simplest explanation that explains the greatest number of
phenomena should be used.
Misconceptions:
1. Only empirical research counts as scientific : Not true because we also need conceptual analysis,
we need to know the theoretical concepts to study them, bv: what is an organization? It needs to
be explained, you cannot empirically prove it.
2. Scientific research is only descriptive, never prescriptive: not true, management research is also
prescriptive.
Argumentum ad ignorentiam: something is true because there is no proof that it's untrue -> fallacious
reasoning.
Petito principii: the claim one has to prove is secretly taken for granted in one of the premises.
False dilemma: false options are presented.
What is reasonable:
1. correct methods of research and argumentation (methodology, qualitative, quantitative)
2. The status of acquired scientific knowledge (epistomology): the explanation of phenomenon will
provide for possibilities t come up with reasonable predictions
3. The nature of social reality (ontology) idealism & realism
Idealism: all natural phenomena are nothing more than mental presentations
Realism: reality is always observed in an pre-shaped way; what you see is real, but it's only real to you.
Kant: our mind lays a scheme of order upon the world and actively constructs reality. What we see gets
its shape because of our mindset.
Critical rationalism: knowledge that is for sure can only be attained by way of critical reflection.
Ecumenical: we need different ways to categorize and conceptualize social reality
H2
Positivism: only knowledge based on observation and experience was to be counted as scientific
knowledge. Only empirical research can bear the mark scientific and the normative beliefs cannot be
backed scientifically, because science supposedly can only be descriptive.
Enlightenment: knowledge of the worlds can only be gained by using two central human capacities:
1. Think rationally
2. Learn from observations and experiences.
, Positivism: extreme form of empiricism: science should be based solely on observation and experiences.
There are only synthetic claims a posteriori: claims directly or indirectly based on empirical
observations. Claims that are not based upon what is empirically observable are nonsense-claims.
Logical positivism: only knowledge that can be traced back to observational data can be qualified as
knowledge. Kernwoorden: logica en theorieen gebasseerd op waarnemingen.
Principle of logical reduction: all statements should be reduced to observations using logic.
Linguistic turn: waarheid in de taal
1. Logical inconsistency (untruth), er is hier sprake van contradictie. de waarheid is non-
contradictie: er zijn nooit twee ware uitspraken die elkaar tegenspreken. => corespondence
theory of truth
2. Logical truth: analytic statements => coherency theory of truth
3. Synthetic statements (need to observe)
4. Metaphysics: we can't proof it
The correspondence model and the coherence model of truth
Correspondence model of truth (positivists): a claim is true if it correspondence exactly with reality.
Whether the claims are true can only be confirmed empirically. There is a problem with this theory is
that not everything is observable. There are also theoretical concepts like economical recession and
dispositional properties: solubility, flexibility, aggressiveness: these are properties a person or object can
have, but which reveal only in particular circumstances.
What makes a good theoretical concept:
1. A concept should be usable in more than one context (robustness)
2. The claims that one makes using these concepts, should fit into a more general theory (fit)
3. Using a particular concept, one should be able to make trustworthy predictions about the
occurrence of the phenomenon referred to by that concept (predictability)
Coherence model of truth: there will always be many reason giving considerations that support the truth
of a particular claim. Coherence is a function of cohesion and mutual support.
Analytic claims: are true if they can be derived from various other claims on various levels of abstraction.
Circle is round.
Synthetic claim is checked by observing reality, method of verification is observation.
The standard model of the sciences: process-oriented.
Consensustheorie: zolang niemand aannemelijk kan maken dat het niet waar is, is de theorie
waar.(Kuhn)
Pragmatic theory of truth: statement is true because we can do something with it.
Theoretical concepts: cannot be reduced to observations => evolutie, kracht. Ze leiden tot nieuwe
kennis en moeten iets toevoegen wat niet terug komt in de observatie.
Dispositional concepts: refer to latent attributes (flexibility, resilience. Problem: applicable only under
conditions when latent attributes become manifest and observable?
LP allow: => theoretical cycle.
Theoretical and dispositional concepts
Induction (probability, likely to be true)
The induction problem
Deductie: New information cannot change the truth
