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46Utilitarianism, Degressive Proportionality and the Constitution of a Federal AssemblyPhilSci Archive 1. 2001.A federal assembly consists of a number of representatives for each of the nations (states, Länder, cantons,...) that make up the federation. How many representatives should each nation receive? What makes this issue worth quibbling about is that the model of representation that is instituted will have an impact on the welfare distribution over the nations in the federation that will ensue over due course. We will investigate what models of representation yield welfare distributions that score h…Read more
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66Transdisziplinarität – eine Herausforderung für die WissenschaftstheorieIn Gereon Wolters & Martin Carrier (eds.), Homo Sapiens und Homo Faber: epistemische und technische Rationalität in Antike und Gegenwart ; Festschrift für Jürgen Mittelstrass, De Gruyter. pp. 335--343. 2005.Die zeitgenössische Wissenschaftstheorie leidet unter ähnlichen Problemen wie die Wissenschaften, mit denen sie sich befasst. So nimmt auch in der Wissenschaftstheorie die Spezialisierung stark zu, und bei vielen der behandelten Fragestellungen geht es einzig um Detailprobleme, die sich aus einem sich verselbständigenden Diskussionszusammenhang entwickelt haben, wobei der Bezug zur jeweiligen Ausgangsfrage und die größere philosophische Perspektive leicht aus den Augen verloren geht.
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180We construct a probabilistic coherence measure for information sets which determines a partial coherence ordering. This measure is applied in constructing a criterion for expanding our beliefs in the face of new information. A number of idealizations are being made which can be relaxed by an appeal to Bayesian Networks.
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33A Probabilistic Theory of the Coherence of an Information SetIn BeckermannAnsgar (ed.), Argument & Analysis: Proceedings of the 4th International Congress of the Society for Analytical Philosophy, Bielefeld. 2001.Bonjour (1985: 101 and 1999: 124) and other coherence theorists of justification before him (e.g. Ewing, 1934: 246) have complained that we do not have a satisfactory analysis of the notion of coherence. The problem with existing accounts of coherence is that they try to bring precision to our intuitive notion of coherence independently of the particular role that it is meant to play within the coherence theory of justification (e.g Lewis, 1946: 338). This is a mistake: it does not make any …Read more
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146On CorrespondenceStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 33 (1): 79-94. 2002.This paper is an essay review of Steven French and Harmke Kamminga (eds.), Correspondence, Invariance and Heuristics. Essays in Honour of Heinz Post (Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1993). I distinguish a varity of correspondence relations between scientific theories (exemplified by cases from the book under review) and examine how one can make sense of the the prevailing continuity in scientific theorizing.
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137Welfarism and the Assessment of Social Decision RulesIn Jerome Lang & Ulle Endriss (eds.), Computational Social Choice 2006, University of Amsterdam. 2006.The choice of a social decision rule for a federal assembly affects the welfare distribution within the federation. But which decision rules can be recommended on welfarist grounds? In this paper, we focus on two welfarist desiderata, viz. (i) maximizing the expected utility of the whole federation and (ii) equalizing the expected utilities of people from different states in the federation. We consider the European Union as an example, set up a probabilistic model of decision making and explore h…Read more
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50Models, Simulations, and the Reduction of Complexity (edited book)De Gruyter. 2013.Modern science is, to a large extent, a model-building activity. But how are models contructed? How are they related to theories and data? How do they explain complex scientific phenomena, and which role do computer simulations play here? These questions have kept philosophers of science busy for many years, and much work has been done to identify modeling as the central activity of theoretical science. At the same time, these questions have been addressed by methodologically-minded scientists, …Read more
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125Mechanisms, Coherence, and Theory Choice in the Cognitive NeurosciencesIn Peter McLaughlin, Peter Machamer & Rick Grush (eds.), Theory and Method in the Neurosciences, Pittsburgh University Press. pp. 70-80. 2001.Let me first state that I like Antti Revonsuo’s discussion of the various methodological and interpretational problems in neuroscience. It shows how careful and methodologically reflected scientists have to proceed in this fascinating field of research. I have nothing to add here. Furthermore, I am very sympathetic towards Revonsuo’s general proposal to call for a Philosophy of Neuroscience that stresses foundational issues, but also focuses on methodological and explanatory strategies.2 I…Read more
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219Kohärent/Kohärenz; Kohärenz, explanatorische; Kohärenz, probabilistischeIn J. Mittelstraß (ed.), Enzyklopädie der Wissenschaftsphilosophie und analytischen Philosophie vol. 4, Metzler. pp. 250-258. 2010.Erklärungstheoretisch bestimmter Kohärenzbegriff
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179Understanding (With) Toy ModelsBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science. 2016.Toy models are highly idealized and extremely simple models. Although they are omnipresent across scientific disciplines, toy models are a surprisingly under-appreciated subject in the philosophy of science. The main philosophical puzzle regarding toy models is that it is an unsettled question what the epistemic goal of toy modeling is. One promising proposal for answering this question is the claim that the epistemic goal of toy models is to provide individual scientists with understanding. The…Read more
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166Review of Inference to the Best ExplanationNotre Dame Philosophical Reviews 1 (6). 2005.The first edition of Peter Lipton's Inference to the Best Explanation, which appeared in 1991, is a modern classic in the philosophy of science. Yet in the second edition of the book, Lipton proves that even a classic can be improved. Not only does Lipton elaborate and expand on the themes covered in the first edition, but he also adds a new chapter on Bayesianism. In particular, he attempts a reconciliation between the Bayesian approach and that offered by Inference to the Best Explanation (IBE…Read more
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Ludwig Maximilians Universität, MünchenFaculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Study of ReligionRegular Faculty
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Social Science |
Philosophy of Computing and Information |