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An Epistemically Neutral Definition of "Fact" [preview video]

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This video is a preview from a 3+ hour course titled "The Vocabulary of Science: First Steps to Science Literacy". Scroll down to see the full table of contents.
The link below will take you to the course page on Udemy (with a discounted price):
The course is also hosted over at my video tutorial site, the Critical Thinker Academy:
Supporters on Patreon get access to ALL of the content over at the Critical Thinker Academy site, including this course, for as little as $3/month.
You can become a Patron here:
Here's the playlist for this set of preview videos:
Here's the full table of contents:
1. Welcome to the Course
1.1 Is Evolution a Theory, a Fact, or Both?
1.2 Why Am I Qualified to Teach This Course?
1.3 Overview of the Course
2. An Important Distinction For the Whole Course
2.1 An Important Distinction: Epistemically Loaded vs Neutral Language
3. What is a Theory?
3.1 “It’s Just a Theory”: “Theory” as Down-Player
3.2 “Theories are the Pinnacles of Science”: “Theory” as Up-Player
3.3. Why We Need a Neutral Definition of “Theory”
3.4 A Neutral Definition of “Theory”: A Classical (But Incomplete) Story
3.5 A Neutral Definition of “Theory”: A More Sophisticated Story
4. What is a Fact?
4.1 “You Can’t Deny the Facts”: A Loaded Definition of “Fact”
4.2 “I Had the Facts Wrong”: A Neutral Definition of “Fact”
4.3 Can There Be Theoretical Facts?
5. What is a Law?
5.1 Loaded Definitions of “Law”
5.2 Examples of Laws in Biology and Psychology
5.3 Examples of Laws in Physics and Astronomy
5.4 Unpacking the Neutral Concept of “Law”
5.5. But Are There Any Laws?
5.6 A Quick Word: Are Laws Explanatory?
6. What is a Hypothesis?
6.1 “That’s Just a Hypothesis”: A Loaded Definition of “Hypothesis”
6.2 A Neutral Definition of “Hypothesis”
7. What is a Model?
7.1 Introduction: What is a Model?
7.2 Maps and Models
7.3 Models as Tools For Reasoning About the World
7.4 How Equations Can Be Models
7.5 Is There a Difference Between a Model and a Theory?
8. Theories, Models, Truth and Reality
8.1 Introduction: Theories, Models, Truth and Reality
8.2 The Challenge of Interpreting Theories
8.3 Prediction and Truth: Lessons from Ptolemy
8.4 Prediction and Truth: Lessons from the Kinetic Theory of Gases
9. Test Yourself: Video Analysis Assignment
9.1 Assignment: Analyse and Critique a 7 Minute Video (“Fact vs Theory vs Hypothesis vs Law … Explained!”)
9.2 Part 1: The Motivation For the Video
9.3 Part 2: “Scales of Truthiness”
9.4 Part 3: The Fundamental Error
9.5 Part 4: Defining Facts in Terms of Observations
9.6 Part 5: Defining Hypotheses as Starting Points For Inquiry
9.7 Part 6: Defining Theories as Well-Supported
9.8 Part 7: More Problems with Defining Facts in Terms of Observations
9.9 Part 8: Can Laws Explain, Or Do They Just Describe? Kepler, Newton and Einstein
9.10 Analyzing the Last Slide
9.11 Lessons Learned From This Exercise
10. Wrapping Up
Category
Academic
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