Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Gonzalez, Wenceslao J.,[Herausgeber]

Titel

Language and scientific research

Ort / Verlag

Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan,

Erscheinungsjahr

[2021]

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Intro -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- List of Figures -- 1: The Relevance of Language for Scientific Research -- 1 Origin of the Philosophical Relevance of Language for Scientific Research -- 2 Language is One of the Constitutive Elements of Science -- 3 Main Roles of Language in the Configuration of Science -- 4 Language in Basic Science, Applied Science and Application of Science -- 5 Scientific Language Cannot be Reduced to Structural Components -- 6 Language of Scientific Activity and Language of Other Activities Connected to It -- 7 Origin and Structure of the Present Book -- References -- Part I: The Problem of Reference and Potentialities of the Language in Science -- 2: Semantics of Science and Theory of Reference: An Analysis of the Role of Language in Basic Science and Applied Science -- 1 Semantics of Science and the Theory of Reference -- 1.1 Semantic Problems -- 1.2 Reference: Relationship, Referent, and Transmission -- 1.3 Meaning and Reference -- 2 Two Main Directions: Semantic Line and Pragmatic Path -- 2.1 The Semantic Line -- 2.2 The Pragmatic Path -- 3 The Role of Reference in Science -- 3.1 Reference as Twofold: Semantic Role and Semantic Value -- 3.2 Causal Theory of Reference and Internal Realism -- 3.3 Semantic Anti-Realism and the Place of Reference -- 3.4 Kuhn's Approach in his Linguistic Period -- 4 From Basic Science to Applied Science -- 4.1 Semantic Differences -- 4.2 The Perspective of Reference -- References -- 3: On the Role of Language in Scientific Research: Language as Analytic, Expressive, and Explanatory Tool -- 1 An Overview of the Potentialities of the Language of Mathematics -- 2 History of Physics from a Linguistic Point of View -- 2.1 Newtonian Physics -- 2.2 Physics of Continua and Fluids -- 2.3 Physics of Atoms and Energies -- 2.4 Field Theories.
• 2.5 Quantum Physics -- 3 Description of the Potentialities of the Language of Physics -- 3.1 The Analytic Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.2 Expressive Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.3 Methodical Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.4 Integrative Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.5 Explanatory Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.6 Constitutive Power of the Language of a Physical Theory -- 3.7 Concluding Remarks Concerning the Potentialities of the Language of Physics -- 4 The Constitution of the Potentialities of the Language of Physics -- References -- Part II: Language and Change in Scientific Research: Evolution and Historicity -- 4: Scientific Inquiry and the Evolution of Language -- 1 The Coevolution of Theory and Language -- 2 A One-Sender/One-Predictor Game -- 3 A Two-Sender/One-Predictor Game -- 4 Revolution in the Context of Changing Demands -- 5 Invention and Discard -- 6 Sender-Predictor Games as Models for the Coevolution of Predictive Theory and Descriptive Language -- 7 An Endogenous Account of Epistemic Norms -- 8 Discussion -- References -- 5: Language, History and the Making of Accurate Observations -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Scientific Observation in Historical Perspective -- 3 Case Study One: Exact Observation and the Birth of Modern Science -- 4 Case Study Two: Observation in the Life Sciences -- 5 Philosophy of Science and the Role of Ethics -- 6 Conclusion -- References -- Part III: Scientific Language in the Context of Truth and Fiction -- 6: The Evolution of Truth and Belief -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Pragmatic Notions of Truth -- 2.1 Basic Signaling, Truth, and Inquiry -- 2.2 Reflective Truth -- 2.3 Reliable Truth -- 2.4 Understanding Truth in an Evolutionary Model -- 3 The Evolution of Belief -- 4 The Evolution of Indifference.
• 5 Discussion -- References -- 7: Models, Fictions and Artifacts -- 1 Models, Representation and Languages of Science -- 2 The DEKI Account of Model-Based Representation -- 3 Some Problems of Imagined-Objects -- 4 The Artifactual Account of Models -- 4.1 Representational Modes and Media -- 4.2 Constrained Constitution and Justification -- 5 Conclusion -- References -- Part IV: Language in Mathematics and in Empirical Sciences -- 8: On Mathematical Language: Characteristics, Semiosis and Indispensability -- 1 Focus on the Problems -- 2 Characteristics of Mathematical Language -- 3 The Perspective of the Multimodal Social Semiotics: Language, Symbolism and Images -- 3.1 Creating a Scientific View Through (Natural) Language -- 3.2 From Rhetorical Forms to Actual Symbolic Systems -- 3.3 The Function of Images to Create Reality -- 4 Indispensability and Effectiveness of Mathematics -- References -- 9: Characterization of Scientific Prediction from Language: An Analysis of Nicholas Rescher's Proposal -- 1 Scientific Prediction in the Framework of the Meaning Theory -- 1.1 Features of Scientific Prediction as a Statement -- 1.2 The Timing Feature: Prediction and Retrodiction -- 2 To Broaden the Language of Prediction in Its Nexus with Knowledge -- 2.1 In the Context of Basic Science: Foresight, Prediction, Forecast -- 2.2 In the Field of Applied Science and Application of Science: From Prescription to Planning -- 3 Towards the Limits of Language and Scientific Prediction -- 3.1 Language and the Limits of Prediction as Barriers: Scientific and Non-scientific Predictions -- 3.2 The Limits of Scientific Prediction as "Confines:" "Non-predictability" and "Unpredictability" -- References -- Index of Names -- Subject Index.
• This book analyzes the role of language in scientific research and develops the semantics of science from different angles. The philosophical investigation of the volume is divided into four parts, which covers both basic science and applied science: I) The Problem of Reference and Potentialities of the Language in Science; II) Language and Change in Scientific Research: Evolution and Historicity; III) Scientific Language in the Context of Truth and Fiction; and IV) Language in Mathematics and in Empirical Sciences.Language plays a key role in science: our access to the theoretical, practical or evaluative dimensions of scientific activity begins with the mastery of language, continues with a deepening in the use of language and reaches the level of contribution when it creates new terms or changes them in sense and reference. This reveals the compatibility between objectivity in semantic contents and historicity in the progress of science. This volume is a valuable enrichment to students, academics and other professionals interested in science in all its forms, who seek to deepen the role that language plays in its structure and dynamics.
• Description based on print version record.