PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Science and Research Methodology

Question 1

Karl Popper's criterion of demarcation between science and non-science holds that scientific theories must be:

Accepted Answer

Falsifiable in principle by observable evidence

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Verifiable through positive empirical evidence

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Accepted by consensus among trained scientists

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Derived logically from first principles

Question 2

Thomas Kuhn's concept of a 'paradigm shift' refers to:

Accepted Answer

A revolutionary replacement of one dominant scientific framework by another

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A gradual accumulation of scientific knowledge over decades

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The process by which scientists verify a hypothesis through repeated testing

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A shift in government funding priorities for scientific research

Question 3

The problem of induction, famously articulated by David Hume, concerns:

Accepted Answer

The logical justification for inferring general laws from particular observations

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Whether deductive arguments can be applied to empirical observations

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The impossibility of conducting controlled scientific experiments

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Whether scientific theories are reducible to mathematical statements

Question 4

In the philosophy of science, 'underdetermination' refers to the thesis that:

Accepted Answer

Scientific data alone is insufficient to determine the truth of a unique theory

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Scientists are unable to gather enough empirical data to test their hypotheses

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Mathematical models are always underdeveloped relative to observed phenomena

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No theory can be tested without a prior theoretical framework

Question 5

Imre Lakatos introduced the concept of 'research programmes' to show that:

Accepted Answer

Scientific theories are immune to falsification by a single counterexample

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Science progresses only through revolutionary overthrow of paradigms

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Scientists should immediately abandon a theory when anomalies arise

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All scientific knowledge is relative to cultural context

Question 6

Which of the following best describes 'scientific realism'?

Accepted Answer

Successful scientific theories approximately describe entities and processes that exist independently of our minds

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Science should only describe observable phenomena without making claims about unobservables

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All scientific concepts are convenient fictions useful for prediction but not literally true

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Science is a social construction reflecting the power structures of society

Question 7

The Duhem-Quine thesis holds that it is impossible to test a scientific hypothesis in isolation because:

Accepted Answer

Testing requires auxiliary assumptions that are themselves theoretical

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All hypotheses contain internal logical contradictions

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Experimental apparatus cannot be calibrated without circular reasoning

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Observational data is always filtered through subjective perception