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Why Empiricism Won't Work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2023

James Robert Brown
James Robert Brown*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Extract

Thought experiments present an enormous challenge to empiricism. So much so that some of us have (cheerfully) thrown in the towel and embraced good old fashioned platonism. I'll try to explain why, or at least, why one brand of empiricism won't work.

Type
Part IX. Thought Experiments: The Theoretician's Laboratory
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1992 , Issue 2: Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers 1992 , 1993 , pp. 270 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

I wish to thank my co-symposiasts, David Gooding and Nancy Nersessian, and also several of my Toronto colleagues, especially Ian Hacking, my commentator, for their remarks on an earlier draft. I am also glad to acknowledge the financial help of S.S.H.R.C.

References

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