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Knowledge, inference and scientific explanation
Develop an argument from its evidence, study classical Nyāya and test the assumptions behind scientific explanations.
3 lessons · Learn at your own pace
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Learn, practise, explain
Try the exercise before reading its explanation. Answer the self-check questions in your own words, then compare your reasoning with the answers. Revisit any difficult section before moving on. No account or payment is needed.
- 01
Knowledge, belief and evidence
You can believe a bus leaves at nine, correctly guess that it leaves at nine, or know its departure time from a reliable current timetable. The answer may look identical while the route to it differs. This lesson builds on the distinction between claims, reasons and valid inference.
Learning outcome: Distinguish truth, belief and justification; compare perception, inference and testimony; and explain why appropriate confidence may change with new evidence.
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Nyāya: means of knowledge and testing inference
How can a reason carry us beyond what we immediately see? Classical Nyāya offers an exacting account of knowledge, inference and discussion. Its concepts help us examine arguments, but belong to a larger philosophical project concerning error, suffering and liberation.
Learning outcome: Identify the parts of an inference, reconstruct a five-member demonstration, and locate the precise point where an attractive argument fails.
Open lesson → - 03
Philosophy of science: models, explanation and testing
A model can predict accurately without telling us every cause, and a failed prediction does not identify its own source of failure. Philosophy of science examines these distinctions. We use invented examples to connect explanation, idealisation, falsifiability and responsible revision.
Learning outcome: Identify what a model represents, reconstruct the logic of a test, and explain when revising an assumption is informative rather than an excuse to avoid evidence.
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