Alan Musgrave
Encyclopedia
Alan Musgrave is an English born New Zealand
philosopher. Musgrave was educated at the London School of Economics
with a BA Honours Philosophy and Economics 1961. Sir Karl Popper supervised Musgrave's PhD which was completed in 1969. Musgrave worked as Popper's Research Assistant initially then as a Lecturer. Musgrave was appointed to the Chair of the Philosophy
Department at the University of Otago
in 1970, and was head of department from 1970 to 2005. He was 30 years old at his appointment. Along with Imre Lakatos
, a friend and colleague, they edited Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge (Cambridge University Press, 1970). It is the best-selling of the 4 volumes that record the Popper/Kuhn confrontation at the 1965 London Conference that Lakatos and Musgrave organised. In 1992 Musgrave published Common Sense, Science and Scepticism; an entry level book on epistemology. In 1999 Musgrave published Essays on Realism and Rationalism (Rodopi); a collection of his scholarly papers. In 2006 Musgrave was honoured with a Festschrift
: Rationality and Reality: Conversations with Alan Musgrave, edited by Colin Cheyne & John Worall
(Springer). In 2009, Musgrave published Secular Sermons: Essays on Science and Philosophy (Otago University Press); an entry level book on science, religion and mathematics.
Among his non scholarly achievements is the Otago Philosophy's ranking in New Zealand's Performance Based Research Funding. In both the 2003 & 2006 survey's Otago's Philosophy department ranked as the best performing department among all academic disciplines in New Zealand. In 2010 Musgrave is planning to retire from academia. The University of Otago embarked on a funding campaign to raise money towards a scholarship in his honour.
, especially the Philosophy of Biology
. The largest part of his career has been dedicated to the study of Charles Darwin
. Throughout his career he has defended scientific realism and scientific rationalism, and it often considered their chief contemporary defender. He has attacked various forms of Idealism; most recently he attacked Conceptual Idealism by extending the argument popularly known as Stove's "Gem". Metaphysically speaking, Musgrave can be considered a nominalist; he argues for a position he specifically calls Pleonastic Platonism. This position basically claims that confusions within our language gives rise to Platonic entities. Pleonastic is a term with Greek roots meaning "excessive". Many of his works exhibit influence from Sir Karl Popper
— his teacher as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the London School of Economics
. He also shared an office with fellow philosopher Imre Lakatos
while he was in London
.
His form of Rationalism is subject, he admits, to circularity; but, he insists, it is better (even if only slightly better) than Poppers' Rationalism, which admits to irrationalism. However, his form of Scientific Realism is much stronger. His position does not assert that science is correct, only that we may reasonably accept certain parts of it to be correct. Electrons, for example, may not exist; but that does not mean we should not believe in them.
His main criterion for believing in a scientific theory is that it generates 'novel predictions.' He is one of the few philosophers of science, on either side of the debate, to stress the distinction between novel predictions and regular predictions. A novel prediction is one that was not used in the construction of a theory, but that nevertheless follows from it. If a scientific theory makes an accurate prediction about something unknown (as opposed to a known regularity), then the theory must either be true, or the accurate 'novel' prediction was miraculously guessed. This argument had previously been applied to all scientific predictions, by many philosophers of science (the most famous, perhaps, being Hilary Putnam
, who coined the phrase 'Realism is the only philosophy that doesn't make science a miracle'). This aphorism however, has been criticized as being merely a chimera of sophism, used mostly for its seductive force rather than its substance. Nevertheless, Professor Musgrave is in a smaller group by stressing that the argument can only succeed if applied solely to novel predictions. This claim however, cannot be defended logically as it commits the petitio principii fallacy of assuming, without adequate justification, the conclusion it is supposed to defend. However, while admitting circularity within the argument (in that "miracle arguments" seek to justify scientific "inference to the best explanation" by use of an inference to the best explanation), Musgrave defends his stance as one making a conclusion about rational belief rather than truth. Because he makes this distinction about knowing for certain that a theory is right, and reasonably believing that a theory is right, he evades many classical objections to Realism. He stresses the distinction between the two types of arguments below:
and…
In the latter argument, premise 1) is still highly controversial, but is has been argued to be less so than premise 1) of the former argument. He argues for the latter premises 1) with such things as the Miracle Argument and novel predictions (above). In this way, he tries to do away with many skeptical objections about realism: he is no more wrong to believe in a theory's truth than an instrumentalist is to believe in a theory's usefulness, but that alone neither justifies nor warrants his claim that the theory is true. Both philosophers have the same chance of being wrong; and, with scientific realism, Musgrave also receives an explanation of events that the instrumentalist does not have. He often says that instrumentalists say the name of the game is "saving the phenomena," but he sees no reason that it should not also be "explaining the phenomena."
As for criticism of premise 1) in the latter argument, anti-realists point out that such a principle can only be justified through circular reasoning. For instance, to arrive at justification of 1), the best one can do is argue that this principle has escaped serious criticism and therefore is reasonable to accept. But why should one accept the corollary principle of "a principle that has escaped serious criticism is reasonable to accept"? The reply is that it itself is a principle that has escaped serious criticism. This boot-strapping is an unavoidable consequence of Musgrave's Critical Rationalism
. Musgrave openly admits the circularity of his view, however he is quick to point out that anti-realism has nothing better to offer, and indeed, that not all circles are so vicious.
Musgrave's arguments are presented in his book Essays on Realism and Rationalism, in which he also attacks the most prominent anti-realist views, including those of Nancy Cartwright
and those of Bas Van Fraassen.
.
His position as head of department was somewhat a result of being a student of Sir Karl Popper. Popper suggested Musgrave as a suitable candidate for the position upon consultation by the university in 1970.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
philosopher. Musgrave was educated at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
with a BA Honours Philosophy and Economics 1961. Sir Karl Popper supervised Musgrave's PhD which was completed in 1969. Musgrave worked as Popper's Research Assistant initially then as a Lecturer. Musgrave was appointed to the Chair of the Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
Department at the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
in 1970, and was head of department from 1970 to 2005. He was 30 years old at his appointment. Along with Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos was a Hungarian philosopher of mathematics and science, known for his thesis of the fallibility of mathematics and its 'methodology of proofs and refutations' in its pre-axiomatic stages of development, and also for introducing the concept of the 'research programme' in his...
, a friend and colleague, they edited Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge (Cambridge University Press, 1970). It is the best-selling of the 4 volumes that record the Popper/Kuhn confrontation at the 1965 London Conference that Lakatos and Musgrave organised. In 1992 Musgrave published Common Sense, Science and Scepticism; an entry level book on epistemology. In 1999 Musgrave published Essays on Realism and Rationalism (Rodopi); a collection of his scholarly papers. In 2006 Musgrave was honoured with a Festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
: Rationality and Reality: Conversations with Alan Musgrave, edited by Colin Cheyne & John Worall
John Worrall (philosopher)
John Worrall is a professor of philosophy of science at the London School of Economics. He is also associated with the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the same institution....
(Springer). In 2009, Musgrave published Secular Sermons: Essays on Science and Philosophy (Otago University Press); an entry level book on science, religion and mathematics.
Among his non scholarly achievements is the Otago Philosophy's ranking in New Zealand's Performance Based Research Funding. In both the 2003 & 2006 survey's Otago's Philosophy department ranked as the best performing department among all academic disciplines in New Zealand. In 2010 Musgrave is planning to retire from academia. The University of Otago embarked on a funding campaign to raise money towards a scholarship in his honour.
Research interests
His chief interest is in Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge), History and Philosophy of SciencePhilosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
, especially the Philosophy of Biology
Philosophy of biology
The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences...
. The largest part of his career has been dedicated to the study of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
. Throughout his career he has defended scientific realism and scientific rationalism, and it often considered their chief contemporary defender. He has attacked various forms of Idealism; most recently he attacked Conceptual Idealism by extending the argument popularly known as Stove's "Gem". Metaphysically speaking, Musgrave can be considered a nominalist; he argues for a position he specifically calls Pleonastic Platonism. This position basically claims that confusions within our language gives rise to Platonic entities. Pleonastic is a term with Greek roots meaning "excessive". Many of his works exhibit influence from Sir Karl Popper
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
— his teacher as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He also shared an office with fellow philosopher Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos
Imre Lakatos was a Hungarian philosopher of mathematics and science, known for his thesis of the fallibility of mathematics and its 'methodology of proofs and refutations' in its pre-axiomatic stages of development, and also for introducing the concept of the 'research programme' in his...
while he was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
His form of Rationalism is subject, he admits, to circularity; but, he insists, it is better (even if only slightly better) than Poppers' Rationalism, which admits to irrationalism. However, his form of Scientific Realism is much stronger. His position does not assert that science is correct, only that we may reasonably accept certain parts of it to be correct. Electrons, for example, may not exist; but that does not mean we should not believe in them.
His main criterion for believing in a scientific theory is that it generates 'novel predictions.' He is one of the few philosophers of science, on either side of the debate, to stress the distinction between novel predictions and regular predictions. A novel prediction is one that was not used in the construction of a theory, but that nevertheless follows from it. If a scientific theory makes an accurate prediction about something unknown (as opposed to a known regularity), then the theory must either be true, or the accurate 'novel' prediction was miraculously guessed. This argument had previously been applied to all scientific predictions, by many philosophers of science (the most famous, perhaps, being Hilary Putnam
Hilary Putnam
Hilary Whitehall Putnam is an American philosopher, mathematician and computer scientist, who has been a central figure in analytic philosophy since the 1960s, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science...
, who coined the phrase 'Realism is the only philosophy that doesn't make science a miracle'). This aphorism however, has been criticized as being merely a chimera of sophism, used mostly for its seductive force rather than its substance. Nevertheless, Professor Musgrave is in a smaller group by stressing that the argument can only succeed if applied solely to novel predictions. This claim however, cannot be defended logically as it commits the petitio principii fallacy of assuming, without adequate justification, the conclusion it is supposed to defend. However, while admitting circularity within the argument (in that "miracle arguments" seek to justify scientific "inference to the best explanation" by use of an inference to the best explanation), Musgrave defends his stance as one making a conclusion about rational belief rather than truth. Because he makes this distinction about knowing for certain that a theory is right, and reasonably believing that a theory is right, he evades many classical objections to Realism. He stresses the distinction between the two types of arguments below:
A variant of traditional realism
- If a scientific theory 'X' generates correct novel predictions, then theory 'X' is true.
- Scientific theory 'X' generates novel predictions.
- Therefore, scientific theory 'X' is true.
and…
Musgrave's realism
- If a scientific theory 'X' generates correct novel predictions, then it is reasonable to believe that theory 'X' is true.
- Scientific theory 'X' generates novel predictions.
- Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that scientific theory 'X' is true.
In the latter argument, premise 1) is still highly controversial, but is has been argued to be less so than premise 1) of the former argument. He argues for the latter premises 1) with such things as the Miracle Argument and novel predictions (above). In this way, he tries to do away with many skeptical objections about realism: he is no more wrong to believe in a theory's truth than an instrumentalist is to believe in a theory's usefulness, but that alone neither justifies nor warrants his claim that the theory is true. Both philosophers have the same chance of being wrong; and, with scientific realism, Musgrave also receives an explanation of events that the instrumentalist does not have. He often says that instrumentalists say the name of the game is "saving the phenomena," but he sees no reason that it should not also be "explaining the phenomena."
As for criticism of premise 1) in the latter argument, anti-realists point out that such a principle can only be justified through circular reasoning. For instance, to arrive at justification of 1), the best one can do is argue that this principle has escaped serious criticism and therefore is reasonable to accept. But why should one accept the corollary principle of "a principle that has escaped serious criticism is reasonable to accept"? The reply is that it itself is a principle that has escaped serious criticism. This boot-strapping is an unavoidable consequence of Musgrave's Critical Rationalism
Critical rationalism
Critical rationalism is an epistemological philosophy advanced by Karl Popper. Popper wrote about critical rationalism in his works, The Open Society and its Enemies Volume 2, and Conjectures and Refutations.- Criticism, not support :...
. Musgrave openly admits the circularity of his view, however he is quick to point out that anti-realism has nothing better to offer, and indeed, that not all circles are so vicious.
Musgrave's arguments are presented in his book Essays on Realism and Rationalism, in which he also attacks the most prominent anti-realist views, including those of Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright (philosopher)
Nancy Cartwright FBA is a professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics and the University of California at San Diego, and a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship...
and those of Bas Van Fraassen.
Other information
Alan also strongly argues against all major forms of philosophical IdealismIdealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
.
His position as head of department was somewhat a result of being a student of Sir Karl Popper. Popper suggested Musgrave as a suitable candidate for the position upon consultation by the university in 1970.