Chapter_10_Guided_Reading_Notes

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Notes: Chapter 10 – Inference to the Best Explanation Recall from chapter 1 that an explanation is a statement (or statements) asserting __why____ or ___how___ something is the case. For example: The bucket leaks because there’s a hole in it. He was sad because his dog died. She broke the pipe by hitting it with a wrench. These explanations and all others are intended to clarify and elucidate, to increase our __understanding______________. Remember too our discussion of the important distinction between an explanation and an argument . While an explanation tells us why or how something is the case, an argument gives us ____reasons______________for believing that something is the case. The kind of explanation we’re concerned with here—and the kind we bump into most often—is what we’ll call, for lack of something snappier, a ___theoretical_______________explanation. Such explanations are theories, or hypotheses, that try to explain __why_______ something is the way it is, ___why______ something is the case, _why_______ something happened. In this category, we must include all explanations intended to explain the cause of events—the causal explanations that are so important to both science and daily life. Theoretical explanations, of course, are ___claims_________. They assert that something is or is not the case. Now, even though an explanation is ___not______ an argument, an explanation can be __part________ of an argument. It can be the __heart___________ of the kind of inductive argument known as inference to the best explanation. And in this kind of inference, the explanations we use are _____theoretical____________ explanations. In inference to the best explanation , we reason from ___premises___________ about a state of affairs to an ___explanation_______________ for that state of affairs. The premises are statements about observations or other evidence to be explained. The explanation is a __claim__________ about why the state of affairs is the way it is. The key question that this type of inference tries to answer is, __what is the best explanation for the existence or nature of this state of affairs ______? The best explanation is the one ____most likely__________________ to be true. If the explanations in these arguments really are the best, then the arguments are inductively ______________. And if the premises are also true, then the arguments are ____ cogent ___________. If cogent, we are ____justified__________ in believing that the explanations for the phenomena are in fact correct. Explain in your own words what it means that an inference to the best explanation goes “beyond the evidence”? ___This is when an inference is made that is based upon the facts and uses the facts but uses more than just the cold hard facts to prove a point _________________________ List some instances/circumstances other than those in the book in which we use inference to the best explanation every day. ___My lamp is not working because the bulb has blown out. My car won’t start because the battery is dead. My phone won’t turn off because it is dead. _________________________________ Theories and Consistency The first step in determining which explanation is the best explanation is to see if the theory meets the minimum requirement of consistency . Explain in your own words explain what is involved when we evaluate the consistency of a theory. __One of the big things involved when evaluating the consistency of a theory is examining whether or not the theory contradicts itself in any way, if it is through, and if it makes logical sense.________________ Theories and Criteria Applying the ___criteria________________________ to a set of theories constitutes the ultimate test of a theory’s value, for the best theory is the eligible theory that meets the criteria of adequacy better than any of its competitors. Here, “eligible” means that the theory has already met the ___minimun requirement for consistency_____________________________. In your own words explain each of the criteria of adequacy :

Testability : ___This means that there must be a way to test this theory for whether or not it is true or false. If it cannot be tested then it has no credibility as an explanatory theory_____________________________ Fruitfulness : _______This means that the theory is new and has the ability to introduce new ideas and discoveries ___________ Scope : _____This is when a theory is able to divulge and explain far more to the point where it can predict and it is therefore better because it has even further evidence__________ Simplicity : _____The best theories are ones that are simple, ones that don't need an overload of information or fancy words to make it stand out and sound good _____ Conservatism : ____This means that the theory fits well and suits other well established ideas and theories________ Telling Good Theories from Bad In your own words, explain the four steps of the TEST formula: Step 1 : ___Throughly look through the theory itself, check for consistency within it________ Step 2 : ___Go through the existing evidence for the theory, make sure that it is up to date, relevant, and true_________ Step 3 : _____Go through theories that are different from it and asses them as well_______ Step 4 : ______Then go on to actually test the theories in order to compare them and fully assess their truth______________

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