Discussing What Would Happen: The Role of Thought Experiments in Galileo’s Dialogues
Publication year
2018Author(s)
Source
Philosophy of Science, 85, 5, (2018), pp. 906-918ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Leerstoel Geschiedenis van de filosofie
Journal title
Philosophy of Science
Volume
vol. 85
Issue
iss. 5
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 906
Page end
p. 918
Subject
Center for History of Philosophy and Science (CHPS)Abstract
Thought experiments play an important epistemic, rhetorical, and didactic function in Galileo’s dialogues. In some cases, Salviati, Sagredo, and Simplicio agree about what would happen in an imaginary scenario and try to understand whether the predicted outcome is compatible with their respective theoretical assumptions. There are, however, also situations in which the predictions of the three interlocutors turn out to be theory laden. Salviati, Sagredo, and Simplicio not only disagree about what would happen, but they reject one another’s solutions as question begging and sometimes even dismiss one another’s thought experiments as misleading or nonsensical.
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