03.04. An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Theory": A Classical (but incomplete) Story
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Published 2019-07-15
This video course was originally produced as a paid course for Udemy and my Critical Thinker Academy website.
I decided to release the whole course for free on YouTube because I believe science literacy is important for a healthy modern democracy.
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(Teachers, you're free to use these videos in your classes.)
My personal hub site:
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My Argument Ninja Dojo video tutorial and membership site:
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Full Playlist (I recommend saving this link):
• The Vocabulary of Science: First Step...
Full Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
01.01. Is Evolution a Theory, a Fact, or Both?
01.02. Overview of the Course
2. AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
02.01. Epistemically Loaded versus Epistemically Neutral Language
3. WHAT IS A THEORY?
03.01. "It's Just a Theory": "Theory" as Down-Player
03.02. "Theories are the Pinnacles of Science": "Theory" as Up-Player
03.03. Why We Need an Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Theory"
03.04. An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Theory": A Classical (but incomplete) Story
03.05. An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Theory": A More Sophisticated Story
4. WHAT IS A FACT?
04.01. "You Can't Deny the Facts": An Epistemically Loaded Definition of "Fact"
04.02. "I Had the Facts Wrong": An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Fact"
04.03. Can There Be Theoretical Facts?
5. WHAT IS A LAW?
05.01. Epistemically Loaded Definitions of "Law"
05.02. Examples of Laws in Biology and Psychology
05.03. Examples of Laws in Astronomy and Physics
05.04. Unpacking the Epistemically Neutral Concept of "Law"
05.05. But Are There Any Laws?
05.06. A Quick Word: Are Laws Explanatory?
6. WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS?
06.01. "That's Just a Hypothesis": An Epistemically Loaded Definition of "Hypothesis"
06.02. An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Hypothesis"
7. WHAT IS A MODEL?
07.01. Introduction: What is a Model?
07.02. Maps and Models
07.03. Models as Tools For Reasoning About the World
07.04. How Equations Can Be Models
07.05. Is There a Difference Between a Model and a Theory?
8. THEORIES, MODELS, TRUTH AND REALITY
08.01. Introduction: Theories, Models, Truth and Reality
08.02. The Challenge of Interpreting Scientific Theories
08.03. Prediction and Truth: Lessons From Ptolemy
08.04. Prediction and Truth: Lessons From the Kinetic Theory of Gases
9. TEST YOURSELF
09.01. Assignment: Critique a 7 Minute Video on the Vocabulary of Science
The "It's Okay to be Smart" video I'm discussing in this section:
• Fact vs. Theory vs. Hypothesis vs. La...
09.02. Part 1: The Motivation For the Video
09.03. Part 2: "Scales of Truthiness"
09.04. Part 3: The Fundamental Error
09.05. Part 4: The Problem With Defining Facts in Terms of Observations
09.06. Part 5: Problems With Defining Hypotheses as Starting Points For Inquiry
09.07. Part 6: Problems With Defining Theories as Well-Supported
09.08. Part 7: Problems With Defining Evolution as an Observable Fact
09.09 Part 8: Problems With Defining Laws in Terms of Observations
09.10 Part 9: Can Laws Explain, or Do They Just Describe? Kepler, Newton and Einstein
09.11. Part 10: Analyzing the Last Slide
09.12. Who is to Blame?