Abstract
Theory unification is a central aim of scientific
investigation. In this paper, I lay down
the sketch of a Bayesian analysis of the virtue
of unification that entails that the unification
of a theory has direct implications for
the confirmation of the theory’s logical consequences
and for its prior probability. This
shows that scientists do have epistemic, and
not just pragmatic, reasons to prefer unified
theories to non-unified ones.
investigation. In this paper, I lay down
the sketch of a Bayesian analysis of the virtue
of unification that entails that the unification
of a theory has direct implications for
the confirmation of the theory’s logical consequences
and for its prior probability. This
shows that scientists do have epistemic, and
not just pragmatic, reasons to prefer unified
theories to non-unified ones.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10-14 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Kriterion |
| Volume | 18 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |