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Empirical Philosophy of Science pp 13–35Cite as

Prolegomena to an Empirical Philosophy of Science

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Part of the book series: Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics ((SAPERE,volume 21))

Abstract

We identify and address a set of foundational questions relevant to the project of an empirical philosophy of science, the most basic of which is the nature of the empirical. We review the task of distinguishing empirical from non-empirical questions by providing examples from our analysis of cognitive and learning practices in biomedical engineering laboratories. We emphasize that the empirical should be understood as rooted in the instrument, and that the instrument comprises the researcher, which includes elusive factors such as disciplinary identity, disposition, and values. The implications of this claim are examined in relation to three empirical approaches to the philosophy of science: historical, qualitative, and experimental.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, USA

    Lisa M. Osbeck

  2. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 1160 William James Hall, 33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, 02138, MA, USA

    Nancy J. Nersessian

Authors
  1. Lisa M. Osbeck
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  2. Nancy J. Nersessian
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Correspondence to Lisa M. Osbeck .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Susann Wagenknecht

  2. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts, USA

    Nancy J. Nersessian

  3. Department for Science Education, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Hanne Andersen

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Osbeck, L.M., Nersessian, N.J. (2015). Prolegomena to an Empirical Philosophy of Science. In: Wagenknecht, S., Nersessian, N., Andersen, H. (eds) Empirical Philosophy of Science. Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics, vol 21. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18600-9_2

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