Coherence, Truth, and the Development of Scientific Knowledge

Paul R. Thagard

191 citations0/0 files storedPhilosophy of Science

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Philosophy and History of Science Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics Philosophy, Science, and History

Abstract

What is the relation between coherence and truth? This paper rejects numerous answers to this question, including the following: truth is coherence; coherence is irrelevant to truth; coherence always leads to truth; coherence leads to probability, which leads to truth. I will argue that coherence of the right kind leads to at least approximate truth. The right kind is explanatory coherence, where explanation consists in describing mechanisms. We can judge that a scientific theory is progressively approximating the truth if it is increasing its explanatory coherence in two key respects: broadening by explaining more phenomena and deepening by investigating layers of mechanisms. I sketch an explanation of why deepening is a good epistemic strategy and discuss the prospect of deepening knowledge in the social sciences and everyday life.

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References

1975Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases 1982Judgment under Uncertainty 1984Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases.2004Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment 2000Thinking about Mechanisms 1998Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge 1985Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World 2002Heuristics and Biases

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