Ontological pluralism and social values.

Stud Hist Philos Sci

Philosophy Program, Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Electronic address:

Published: April 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • Many philosophers of science argue that non-epistemic values should influence scientific reasoning, particularly in classification or taxonomy.
  • They suggest that choosing a taxonomic scheme relies on social values, leading to the "argument from ontological choice."
  • The author critiques this view, stating that while context-driven choices might involve social values, the validity of a taxonomic scheme should remain independent of these values.

Article Abstract

There seems to be an emerging consensus among many philosophers of science that non-epistemic values ought to play a role in the process of scientific reasoning itself. Recently, a number of philosophers have focused on the role of values in scientific classification or taxonomy. Their claim is that a choice of ontology or taxonomic scheme can only be made, or should only be made, by appealing to non-epistemic or social values. In this paper, I take on this "argument from ontological choice," claiming that it equivocates on the notion of choice. An ontological choice can be understood either in terms of determining which taxonomic scheme is valid, or in terms of deciding which taxonomic scheme to deploy in a given context. I try to show that while the latter can be determined in part by social values, the former ought not to be so determined.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2024.01.004DOI Listing

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