Fundamentals of Concept Formation in Empirical Science

104 Pages·1964·2.717 MB·English

by  Carl Gustav Hempel

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I N T ET 10R NN L A AE NY CC L 0 P oEf U D N II EADF ISI CE N C E
FundamenotfaC losn cept
FormatiinoE nm pirical
Science
By
CarGl. H empel
VOlUMES I AND II FOUNDATIONS Of THE UNITY OF SCIENCE
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VOLUME II NUMBER 7
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Fundanmtaelosf C oncetp
FormatiinoE nm pirical
Science
By
CarGl. H empel
VOLUMES I AND II• FOUNDATIONSO F THE UNITYO F SCIENCE
VOLUME II• NUMBER 7
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Contents:
PAGE
1.I ntroduction 1
J.P RINCIPLOEFDS E FINITION 2
2.O nN ominDaelfi nition 2
8.O n" ReaDle"fi nit.i on 6
4.N ominDaelfi nitwiiotnhT ihne oretSiycsatle ms 14
IIM.E THODsO FC oNCEPFTo RMATIOINNS ciENC.E 20
5.T heV ocabulofaS rcyic ee:nT echniTcearlma sn dO bservation
Terms 20
6.D efinitvisoR.ne ducttioao nnE xperieBnatsiiasl 23
7.T heoretCiocnaslt rauncdTt hse iIrn tperretation 29
8.E mpiriacnaSdly stemIamtpiocor fSt c ientificR eTmearrmkss;
onO perationism 39
IIIS.oM E BAsiTcY PEsO FC oNCEPFTo RMATIOINNS ciENCE 50
9.C lassification 50
10C.l assificvasCt.oo mrpya raatnidQv uea ntitCaotnicveep ts5 4
11.C omparaCtoinvcee apntdsN onmetrOircdaelr s 58
12F.u ndameMnetaaslu rement 62
18D.e rivMeeda surem.e nt 69
14A.d ditiavnidEt xyt ensiveness 75
NoTEs• 79
BIBLIOGRAPHY 88
Vol.N oI7.I ,
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FundamentoaflC so ncepFto rmation
inE mpiriSccaile nce
CarGl. H empel
1.I notdruction
Empirsicciaelhn actsew om ajoorbj ec:tt iodv eesscrpiabre­
ticuplhaern omientn hawe o rolfdo uerx periaenndtc oee s tab­
ligsehn eprrailn cbiypm leeasno sfw hicthhe cya bne e xplained
andp retdeidcT.h ee xplanaantdop rrye dictiveo fpa r inciples
sciendtiisficcia prlseit naeti enid th sy pothegteincearla lizations
andi ttsh eo;rt iheecsyh aracgteenreiprzaaetl t eornrrs e gulari­
titeosw hicthhi en divpihdeunaolm ena acnodn fvboiyrr mt ue
ofw hicthh eoicrc urrceanbnce se y stemaatnitciaclilpya ted.
Int hien itsitaalgo efss c ienitniqfiuci ry, daesws eclrli ptions
asg eneraliazrsaett aitoienntds h veo cabuolfea vreyr yldaa­ny
guagTeh.eg rowotfha sciendtiisficci pline, however, always
brinwgisti htt hdee velopomfaes nyts toefsm p ecialized, more
orl easbss trcaocntc,ea pntdos fa correstpeocnhdnitinecgra ­l
minol.oF goyrw harte asaonnds wbhya mte thoadrste h ese
speccioanlc eipnttsr odauncdhe odwd ot hefyu nctiinso cni ­
entitfihce o?Tr yhesaer e ctehnet qruaels twihoincwshi lble
examiinnte hdi mso nograph.
Itm ighste epml austioab slseu tmhea t scientaierfi c concepts
alwaiynst roduced biyn t deerfimonsfoi tthiceoornn cepts,
whicahr ael reuanddye rsAtsow oidlb.le s eetnh,ii ssb yn o
meangse nertahlel ycN aesvee.r thdeelfiensisit,sai noi nm por­
tanmte thoofdc oncfeoprtm atainodwn ew, i tllh erebfeogrien
bys urveyiinCn hga,p tIe,tr h feu ndamepnrtianlc oifpt lhees
general otfdh eefionriytC ihoanp.tI eIwr i alnl altyhzmeee th­
odsb,o tdhe finitainodnn oanld efinibtyim oenaanolsfw, h ich
scienctoifincc eaprtiesn trodTuhcieasdn .a lywsiillsle atdo a
cloesxearm inaotfti hofenu nctoifco onn ceipnst csi entthiefi­c
oriaensdw ilslh otwh acto nctfe oprmaatnidto hne ofroyr ma-
Yo!I.,I N o.7
1
PrinciopfDl eefsi nition
tioinns cieanrcseeo c losienltye rraeslt aoct oends titute vir­
tuatlwloy diffaesrpeeoncftt sst ahmepe r ocedCuhprate.eI rI I,
finalwliybl,elc oncewrinteahsd t uodfqy u alitaantqdiu vaen ti­
tateci ovnceapntmdse thoidnes m pirical science.
Wes haulslei ,nt hisst udsyo,mo eft hceo nceapntdts e ch­
niquoefms o delrong aincdo ccasiaolnsaamo lo ldyi coufsm y m­
bolniocat tiotnh;ew siel hlo,w evbeeer x,p laisnote hdat,th e
maitne xotft himso ngorapcha nb eu nderswtiotohdao nuyt
previkonuosw leodfsg yem bolloigScio cm.re e marokfas s ome­
whamto rtee chnniactaualrs we e lalsp oinotfds e taanidbl i b­
liogrraepfheirche anvcbeee sei nn cluidnte hndeo taetts h een d.1
PrincoifDp elfiensi tion
I.
2.O n Nominal Definition
Thew or'dd efinihtacisoo mnte'ob eu seidns evedriaffle rent
sensFeosarb. r iseufr voefty h mea jmoera nionftg hste e rwme,
chooassoe u pro ionfdt e partthufera em idliisatri nmcatdieo n
int raditlioogbnieactl w e"enno minaanld" "rdeeafiilno"i.n t A
readle finiitsci oonnc eoifva esad s tateomfet nht"e e ssential
characteorfsi osmteeinc tsi"at swy h,e mna ni sd efinaesda
ratiaonnialmo aral chaasai s re parmaotvea ble seat for one
peorns. A nodmeifniiaonloni n,t tohtehh earn idsa,c onevntion
whicmhe reilnyt rodaunac letse rnatiuvseu-aaalbnlbdyr evia­
tory-notaftoairg o inv leinun igsetxipcr esisnti homena ,n ner
oft hset ipulation
(2.L1e)tt h weo r'dt oin'gb les hofrot(r i .sey.n,o nywmiotuhs)
thpeh ra'soeff sporfai m nagl tei gaenrda f emallieo n'
Int hper esseenctt wieow ni dlils cnuosmsi ndaelfi nitiino n;
thfeo lloowniern,eg ad le finiatnidio tnss i gnififcoasrnc ciee n­
tifiicn quiry.
A nomindfiaenli tmioanyb ec haractaesar s itziepdu ltaot ion
theeff etchta ats peciefixepdr estshidefioe nni,e ndiustm o,b e
synonymwoiutsah c ertoatihnee rx prestshiedofi enn,i ens,
whosmee aninagl riedsae dtye rmAin noemdi.dn eafiln imtaiyo n
therebfepo uriten ttohf eo rm
VolI.IN ,o 7.
2
On NominaDle finition
(2.2) Letth eex presE2sb ieso ynn onymous
witthh eex presE1s ion
Thifso rimse xemplbiyfit ehded efiniotfit ohnpe o pular
neolo'gtiisgmil no( n2'.a 1n)db yt hfeo llowing definitions of
scientteirfimcs :
(.2)3L etth tee r'mA meribceis uymn'o nywmiotuthshp eh rase
'theel ement 9h5na uvcilnpegra ort ons'
(2.L4e)tt h tee r'ma ntibbieso ytniocn'y mwoiut(sha ntdh us
shofrotr t)h ee xpres'sbiaocnt erioorbs acttaetriicc idal
chemiacgaelpn rto dubcyel di voirngga nisms'
Ifa n omildn eafiniist wiroint itnte hnfe o r(m2 .i2tc) l,e arly
speaakbso cuetr tlaiinng ueixsptriecs wshiioccnohsn ,s tiittsu te
definieanndidut mds e fini;he ennscieht,a t so c ontnaaimnef so r
theOmn.es impalnewd i deulsyem de thooffd o rmain nagm e for
ane xpresissti opo untt heex presbseitownes einn gqlueo ta­
tiomna rkTsh.i dse viicsie l lustirnta htpeer de ceedxianmg­
pleasn d fwrielqlu ebneut sletydh rougthhoimusot no graph.
Theree xishtowse,v earn,a lternwaatyio fvf eo rmulating
definitwihoincdshi, s pewnistheq su otamtairoknas n,dw hich
wew iolclc asiuosneIa.lni l taysl ternatitvhdeee fifnoirtmi,o n
(2.w3o)u ladp peaasfr o ll:o ws
(2.5A)m ericiutmh eel emweintt9h 5n uclperaort ons
= DJ
Then otat'=i v/om na yb er ea'disb, yd efinittoie oqnui,an l
meanionrbg r'i, e'fleyq,ub aydl esfi ni'ti;itm oa nyb ev iewaesd
stipultahtseiy nngo nyomfty h eex presflsainokniisnt Hg.e re
artew oa dditiiloslntuarla toifto hnimssa nnoefsr t atnionmgi ­
nadle finnis:t io
(2.6) thcee phailnidocef px e rsxo n
maximum bsrkeualodlftp he rsxo n
100
= DIf maximsukmu lleln gotfph e rsxo n
(2.x7i)ds o lhioccephalxiics a wpietrahcs eopnh ianldiecx
DJ
noetx cee7d5i ng
Altlh edseefi nitairooeftn hsfe o rm
(2.8) --- =vJ ..... ..
VolI.IN, o .7
...
3
PrinciopfDl eefisn ition
witthh dee finieenxdpurme aspspieoantr oit nhlgee fatn,td h e
definieexnpsr estsothi eor ni gohftt h sey mboofdl e finitional
equality.
Accortdoitn hgae c coguinvtse onf aarn ,o mindaefiln ition
introdourdc eefisn,aen se,we x pressBiuoitn.i t ss o meteixm­es
peditainoidun sd eqeudic tues totmoad reys ctrhifebu en cotfi on
nomidneafiln iitnai nao lnt ernmaatninvWeeerm :a ys atyh aat
nomindaelfi nistiinognol ueats c ertcaoinnce ipt.,ea . n,o n­
lingueinsttisitucyca hsa p ropearc tlya,as r se,l atafi uonnc,­
tioonrt, h leik ea,n df,oc ro nvenrieefnetrl eanydcsoe w,an s pe­
cinaalm feo irtT .h ucso ncetihvdeee dfi,n i(t�i.so5in)n goluets
ac ertparionp enratmye,tl hya,ot fb eitnhgce h emieclaelm ent
whoasteo hmas v9e5n uclperaort aonngdsi ,v ieatsb rineafm e.
Thisse cocnhda racteisr qiuziacttoeim opna twiibttlhhe fie r st,
anidt elutchisede anitsnwee hs i chi-osaf st seani dn-oam inal
definidteifionnaec son ce(patd si stingfuriotsmhh eeex dp res­
sionna miintgH) e.n cefwoerw tihpl,el r moiutr setlosv peesa k
ofd efiniatnildoa nt,me orr gee neroafil nltyr odubcottiihno n,
regatroed x presasnidio nrn esg atrocd o ncetphtdese ;fi nition
(�.f6o)er,x ampwlibele,la lternsaatitidovd e elfitynh eee x pres­
sion 'cienpdohefapx le ircsx' oo nrt hceo ncoefcp etp halic index
ofa p erson.
Thee xpredsesfiinobenyad n omidneafiln inteienodon ct o n­
siosfjt u sotns ei nwgolreod rs ymbaosil dt,o eisn( �.i5mt)a ;y
instbeeaa c do mpopuhnrda assie n(, � .a6n)d( �.I7np) a.r ticu­
lairtf, h eex pretsosb ieio nnt rodiustc obe eud s eodn liync er­
taisnp ecliifincg uciosnttietcxh teisnti, ss ufficiteopn rto vide
synonfyomtrsh ocsoen terxattsht ehraf no trh nee wt erimn
isolaAt dieofinni.tw ihoinic nht road uscyesmsb b yop lroviding
synonfyomcrse rteaxipnr escsoinotnasis ,nb iunntog ft o sri t­
selifsc, a lalc eodn texdteufianli tTiohnu.es .,g w.h,et nh tee rm
'dolichoicste opb heua sleoidnc l'iy nc onteoxftt hsfe o r'ms o­
and-issdo o lichoctehpehinats l uifficct'eop,s r ovmiedaenf so r
elimintahtteie nrfgmr otmh ocsoen tesxutcmshe; a nasrp er o­
vidbeyd( �.w7h)i,ic shac ontextual definition.
Thei detah atth dee finienedxupmr esosfai noa nd equate
nomidneafiln imtuisoctno nsoinslotyf t h"en ewt"e rtmob e
VolI.IN ,o7 .
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