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Exploratory Concept Formation and Tool Development in Neuroscience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2022

Philipp Haueis
Philipp Haueis*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Developing tools is a crucial aspect of experimental practice, yet most discussions of scientific change traditionally emphasize theoretical over technological change. To elaborate on the role of tools in scientific change, I offer an account that shows how scientists use tools in exploratory experiments to form novel concepts. I apply this account to two cases in neuroscience and show how tool development and concept formation are often intertwined in episodes of tool-driven change. I support this view by proposing common normative principles that specify when exploratory concept formation and tool development succeed (rather than fail) to initiate scientific change.

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Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 90 , Issue 2 , April 2023 , pp. 354 - 375
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Philosophy of Science Association

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