This dissertation explores the idea that laws of nature are tools for gaining and employing information about the world. In my first chapter, I focus on the Best System Account of laws of nature, according to which the laws are those generalizations which form a deductive system best combining strength and simplicity. I claim that we must focus on the applicability of laws to the sorts of subsystems of the universe with which we interact and manipulate. This provides us with the tools to develop new notions of informativeness and simplicity, and sheds light on our preference for dynamic explanations. In the second chapter, I show how best to extend a Best Systems based account to the special sciences. I argue that extant theories of the relationship between fundamental and special sciences either deemphasize interscientific connections or do little justice to the counterfactual robustness of laws in the special sciences. We need the special sciences in addition to physics because often we have only coarse-grained information about our surroundings, so we need coarse-grained laws to make predictions. I provide a precise characterization of coarse-graining and show how it can be applied to the relationship between the special sciences and physics. In the third chapter, I argue that importing notions from epistemic utility theory provides an account of objective chance which explains both the connection between chances and frequencies and the connection between chances and degrees of belief. This account relies crucially on the notion of an isolated subsystem developed in the first chapter of the dissertation, and aims to show that the objective chances we find in science are fit to act as a guide to our beliefs. I show how measures of accuracy currently being developed in epistemic utility theory can be applied to measure how well the chances of some class of events–say, coin tosses–fit the frequency of outcomes.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Philosophy
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Science--Philosophy
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_6944
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (v, 129 p.)
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Michael Townsen Hicks
Subject
Name (authority = LC-NAF)
NamePart (type = personal)
Hume, David, 1711-1776
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore19991600001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
AssociatedObject
Type
License
Name
Author Agreement License
Detail
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.