April 2015 Lunchtime Abstracts & Details

::: Simplicity, Truth, Rhetoric, and Topology
Kevin T. Kelly
Carnegie Mellon U., Dept. of Philosophy
Tuesday, April 7
12:05 pm
817R Cathedral of Learning

Abstract: Ockham’s razor is the characteristic scientific bias toward simple theories, where simplicity is a matter of minimizing free parameters or untestable assumptions. Without Ockham’s razor, scientists would be swimming in an infinity of alternative theories compatible with the information available. The rhetorical force of Ockham’s razor is undeniable. But in what sense does it help one find the true theory? We present a topological argument that Ockham’s razor is a necessary condition for keeping science on the straightest possible path to the truth, even though that path cannot be guaranteed to be entirely straight. The proposed justification is very weak, in the sense that it does not provide any guarantee against even high chances of error, but it is also very strong, in the sense that it does not presuppose any question-begging, prior bias toward simple possibilities. The argument provides a fresh interpretation and extension of Popper’s philosophy of science. It also sheds new light on themes expounded by Kuhn, Lakatos, and others, who have urged a fundamentally diachronic perspective on scientific inquiry.
This is joint work with Konstantin Genin (Carnegie Mellon University) and Hanti Lin (University of California Davis).


::: A 'School of Athens' for Astronomy: The Engraved Frontispiece of Kepler's Rudolphine Tables
Stefano Gattei
IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca
Tuesday, April 14
12:05 pm
817R Cathedral of Learning

Abstract: In the 16th and 17th centuries, most scientific books presented engraved frontispieces and title-pages, providing learned and aesthetically pleasing decorations for them. However, after Galileo's telescopic discoveries and the publication of the Starry Messenger, 1610, engraved images began to be used to complement the printed words. Indeed, from 1610 on and for a few decades, engraved images became part and parcel of the overall argument of the book they appeared to be decorating, and were often used to say (or suggest) what was not possible - or forbidden - to openly state in print. The paper offers a few examples of such engraved images, especially focusing on Kepler's most elaborate frontispiece for his last major work.