Phil 8: Introduction to Philosophy of Science

Outline 8: Qualitative Confirmation

I. What is Qualitative Confirmation?

 Theories that attempt to identy the conditions under which a hypothesis is
confirmed or disconfirmed are theories of “qualitative confirmation”.
 It is difficult to develop hard and fast rules that exactly specify the conditions
under which a hypothesis is confirmed or disconfirmed.

II. Terminology
 Absolute Confirmation: Hypothesis H is highly supported given evidence E.
 Incremental Confirmation: E increases evidental support for H.

III. A Candidate Rule: CCC

 CCC (absolute form): If H entails K, and K is absolutely confirmed given E,
then H is absolutely confirmed given E.
 CCC (incremental form): If H entails K and E incrementally confirms K,
then E incrementally confirms H.
 We can show that CCC is not an inviolable rule using muddy Venn diagrams.

IV. A Candidate Rule: SCC

 SCC (absolute version): If H entails K and H is absolutely confirmed by E,
then K is absolutely confirmed by E.
 We can show that’s a rule using muddy Venn diagram.
 SCC (incremental version): If H entails K and E incrementally confirms H,
then E incrementally confirms K.
 We can show that the incremental version of SCC is not an inviolable rule
using muddy Venn diagrams.