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It is as good an occasion as any to comment on this blog post by Ron Giere, which I meant to comment on back in March. Giere says that the big motivation for the semantic view of theories was to better reflects how theories work in actual scientific practice. As he puts it, the aim was "getting the philosophy of science closer to the science."
I agree with the aim, but disagree with the way of getting there.
The semantic view of theories works better than the statement view at the work for which it was developed. If I were only allowed one theory concept to take with me to my metaphorical desert island, I might take the semantic theory concept. But metropolitan philosophy of science need not prepare for survival on a desert island.
If we don't accept theory concept monism, then we can accept that the semantic view is an important way to think about theories without saying that it is the way to think about theory. Actual scientific practice is complex and multifarious. The semantic conception serves in its domains and for its purposes, but staying close to the science means applying different theory concepts in other domains and for other purposes.
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I have always thought that the Swampman thought experiment is analytic philosophy at its worst. I recently came up with a variant of it that might steal the title.
Explaining the idea requires that I explain the original Swampman and whinge a bit about how terrible it is. So, details below the fold.
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This is the final part of William Leue's history of the UAlbany Philosophy Department. For context, see part I, part II, part III, part IV, and part V.
The final chapter includes the foreshadowed revolution, and the pseudonymous poetry becomes moreso.
This installment is from Phib v 1 (1972-1973), n 26, pp 106-111.
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This is the penultimate part of William Leue's history of the UAlbany Philosophy Department. For context, see part I, part II, part III, and part IV.
This chapter is mostly about Bill Reese, who was still around as a professor emeritus when I came to Albany in 2004. He had the large office next to the department seminar room, which I inherited into a couple of years later.
This installment is from Phib v 1 (1972-1973), n 22, pp 86-88.
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This is the fourth part of William Leue's history of the UAlbany Philosophy Department. For context, see part I, part II, and part III.
Leue gives us more of his thinly pseudonymous poetry along with the rumblings of the coming revolution.
This installment is from Phib v 1 (1972-1973), n 18, pp 72-74.
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