Kristin Shrader-Frechette
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199396412
- eISBN:
- 9780199396436
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199396412.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
The chapter investigates a third, and perhaps the most prominent, alternative to hypothesis-testing: inference to the best explanation. The chapter shows why this method is superior to those outlined ...
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The chapter investigates a third, and perhaps the most prominent, alternative to hypothesis-testing: inference to the best explanation. The chapter shows why this method is superior to those outlined earlier in the book. Its success is a result of its mandating assessment of causes via potential underlying mechanisms, unification of theoretical principles, and counterfactual manipulation of competing hypotheses. To defend inference to the best explanation, the chapter focuses on the Three Mile Island nuclear accident and shows that, contrary to popular beliefs, it killed many people.Less
The chapter investigates a third, and perhaps the most prominent, alternative to hypothesis-testing: inference to the best explanation. The chapter shows why this method is superior to those outlined earlier in the book. Its success is a result of its mandating assessment of causes via potential underlying mechanisms, unification of theoretical principles, and counterfactual manipulation of competing hypotheses. To defend inference to the best explanation, the chapter focuses on the Three Mile Island nuclear accident and shows that, contrary to popular beliefs, it killed many people.
