Loose Talk Kills: What’s Worrying about Unity of Method

Cartwright, N.

Abstract

There is danger in stressing commonalities among methods because the differences matter in fixing the meaning of our claims. Different methods can, and often do, test the same claim. But it takes a strong network of theory and empirical results to ensure that. Failing that, we are likely to fall into inference by pun. We use one set of methods to establish a claim, then draw inferences licensed by a similar-sounding claim that calls for different methods of test. Our inferences fail and bridges we build (or policies we set) depending on them fall down.

Citation

Cartwright, N. (2016). Loose Talk Kills: What’s Worrying about Unity of Method. Philosophy of Science, 83(5), 768-778. https://doi.org/10.1086/687862

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 14, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jun 16, 2016
• Publication Date: Jun 16, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 16, 2017
• Journal: Philosophy of Science
• Print ISSN: 0031-8248
• Electronic ISSN: 1539-767X
• Publisher: Philosophy of Science Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 83
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 768-778
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/687862
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1402342