The Structure of Scientific Thought

Homework #1

Exercises on Deductive Arguments

Due Friday Sept. 13 at 10:00 AM.  Late homework is not accepted for credit without a valid, verifiable excuse.  Please type your answers.

1. (10 points total) Aristotelian explanations.

   An Aristotelian scientist wants to explain the fact that all rain falls down towards the earth.

   1. Construct two possible explanations for this fact that both conform to Aristotle’s requirement of deductive validity and are in his preferred logical format as discussed in class. One of your proposed explanations should conform to all four of Aristotle’s four empirical requirements for a good explanation as closely as possible.  The other proposed explanation should also have true premises, but fail to meet one or more of Aristotle’s other 3 empirical requirements.

      See the reading “Aristotle’s Phil. Of Science” pp. 8-10 for a discussion of the four empirical requirements for a good explanation.

   2. Explain why the Aristotelian scientist would probably consider one of the proposed explanations to be better than the other.

2. (5 points each) The following two paragraphs each contain an invalid argument. For each:

   • Explain why it is invalid.

   • If the argument can be made valid by adding one or more premises, do it.

   1. The Newtonian theory of gravity is true. We know this because if the Newtonian theory of gravity is true, then the planets travel in predictable ellipses around the sun, and we have found that the planets do travel in predictable ellipses around the sun.

   2. The death penalty is unjustified.  As studies show, the death penalty does not work to deter capital crimes.