Reaction Paper
Introduction
Epistemology is an approach in how to study and gain knowledge. Kourany (2006) stated that the purpose of science is to pursue the truth. By accumulating such truths, philosophers attempt to acquire new knowledge. Popper, Pepper, Kuhn, and Feyerabend provided different perspectives and assumptions about what constitutes truth and reality and further demonstrated how people acquire knowledge. Some philosophers, like Kuhn and Feyerabend issued a challenge to scientific philosophers to make the social science field more relevant to actual science or what could be considered as science (Kourany, 2006). Basically, the four major theorists stand in contrast against the empiricist epistemology or logical empiricism (Deising, 1991). The four philosophy theorists provided a good foundation for later philosophical advances from metaphysics toward more scientific approaches to gain new knowledge rather than using the traditional observational approach alone. By reviewing these former philosophers, this author does not need to start from the beginning to construct a philosophy on how to gain knowledge and understand reality and truth. The purpose of this paper is to respond to the four major theorists’ theories and perspectives on how to acquire knowledge and achieve reality and the truth. This author will first discuss the methods of how to look at the truth based on the four major theorists, and further provide the comparisons and contrasts between the four theories. Next, this author will examine the epistemological viewpoint which was inspired by Pepper and further discuss why this position should be supported. By demonstrating the major concepts and assumptions of Pepper’s four world hypotheses, this author will apply Pepper’s theory in the language acquisition field. Through a discussion of the issues of nature and nurture, and continuity and discontinuity, this writer will address how this and Pepper’s theory could be applied and relate to language acquisition.
How to Pursue the Truth
Falsification was proposed by Popper in 1967 to pursue the truth even though he assumed that there was no way to achieve the real truth (Miller, 1985). In the past, verification was the only method to prove truth or reality, yet Popper argued that researchers cannot possibly verify everything (Miller, 1985). In an apparent contradiction of the perspective from Popper, Kuhn (1996) claimed that falsifying an old theory or hypotheses should not be assessed because the new and former hypotheses or theories emerged from different world views. Therefore, researchers should not falsify hypotheses in order to achieve the truth. Kuhn (1996) asserted that acquiring new knowledge and truth is the progression of scientific revolution which contains five circling stages from normal science, anomaly, and crisis, toward a paradigm shift and finally the creation of a new paradigm. Kuhn (1996) also asserted that a paradigm shift would occur once adequate anomalies were accumulated. Based on a different dimension, Feyerabend (1970) emphasized available evidence through both non-scientific and scientific methods once studies were able to gain new knowledge or come close to the truth. Feyerabend allowed for any method which can help knowledge to be discovered. Furthermore, Feyerabend (1970) also discussed normal science as did Kuhn, yet he believed that normal science is universally based on a global view. Feyerabend (1970) disagreed with falsification like Kuhn, but Feyerabend asserted that researchers could add new information to the study if the hypotheses were not falsifiable. Feyerabend (1970) introduced an ad-hoc hypothesis. He asserted that researchers should have new information to add when the original hypothesis does not work or cannot be falsified. From Feyerabend’s perspective, researchers should not just consider standard rules or methods to gain knowledge even though he disagreed with the concept that two paradigms could co-exist like Kuhn. In contrast to Feyerabend and Kuhn, Pepper (1972) asserted the combination perspective with four different world
กระดาษปฏิกิริยาแนะนำEpistemology is an approach in how to study and gain knowledge. Kourany (2006) stated that the purpose of science is to pursue the truth. By accumulating such truths, philosophers attempt to acquire new knowledge. Popper, Pepper, Kuhn, and Feyerabend provided different perspectives and assumptions about what constitutes truth and reality and further demonstrated how people acquire knowledge. Some philosophers, like Kuhn and Feyerabend issued a challenge to scientific philosophers to make the social science field more relevant to actual science or what could be considered as science (Kourany, 2006). Basically, the four major theorists stand in contrast against the empiricist epistemology or logical empiricism (Deising, 1991). The four philosophy theorists provided a good foundation for later philosophical advances from metaphysics toward more scientific approaches to gain new knowledge rather than using the traditional observational approach alone. By reviewing these former philosophers, this author does not need to start from the beginning to construct a philosophy on how to gain knowledge and understand reality and truth. The purpose of this paper is to respond to the four major theorists’ theories and perspectives on how to acquire knowledge and achieve reality and the truth. This author will first discuss the methods of how to look at the truth based on the four major theorists, and further provide the comparisons and contrasts between the four theories. Next, this author will examine the epistemological viewpoint which was inspired by Pepper and further discuss why this position should be supported. By demonstrating the major concepts and assumptions of Pepper’s four world hypotheses, this author will apply Pepper’s theory in the language acquisition field. Through a discussion of the issues of nature and nurture, and continuity and discontinuity, this writer will address how this and Pepper’s theory could be applied and relate to language acquisition. วิธีการไล่ตามความจริงFalsification was proposed by Popper in 1967 to pursue the truth even though he assumed that there was no way to achieve the real truth (Miller, 1985). In the past, verification was the only method to prove truth or reality, yet Popper argued that researchers cannot possibly verify everything (Miller, 1985). In an apparent contradiction of the perspective from Popper, Kuhn (1996) claimed that falsifying an old theory or hypotheses should not be assessed because the new and former hypotheses or theories emerged from different world views. Therefore, researchers should not falsify hypotheses in order to achieve the truth. Kuhn (1996) asserted that acquiring new knowledge and truth is the progression of scientific revolution which contains five circling stages from normal science, anomaly, and crisis, toward a paradigm shift and finally the creation of a new paradigm. Kuhn (1996) also asserted that a paradigm shift would occur once adequate anomalies were accumulated. Based on a different dimension, Feyerabend (1970) emphasized available evidence through both non-scientific and scientific methods once studies were able to gain new knowledge or come close to the truth. Feyerabend allowed for any method which can help knowledge to be discovered. Furthermore, Feyerabend (1970) also discussed normal science as did Kuhn, yet he believed that normal science is universally based on a global view. Feyerabend (1970) disagreed with falsification like Kuhn, but Feyerabend asserted that researchers could add new information to the study if the hypotheses were not falsifiable. Feyerabend (1970) introduced an ad-hoc hypothesis. He asserted that researchers should have new information to add when the original hypothesis does not work or cannot be falsified. From Feyerabend’s perspective, researchers should not just consider standard rules or methods to gain knowledge even though he disagreed with the concept that two paradigms could co-exist like Kuhn. In contrast to Feyerabend and Kuhn, Pepper (1972) asserted the combination perspective with four different world
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