Evidence and Method

What is meant by scientific evidence, and how can a definition of this concept be applied in the sciences to determine whether observed facts constitute evidence that a given theory is true?

In this book, Peter Achinstein proposes and defends several objective concepts of evidence. He then explores the question of whether a scientific method, such as that represented in the four Rules for the Study of Natural Philosophy that Isaac Newton invoked in proving his law of gravity, can be employed in demonstrating how the proposed definitions of evidence are to be applied to real scientific cases. In answering this question, he offers a new interpretation of Newton's controversial rules. Contrary to what many methodologists assume, whether the rules, so interpreted, can be used to determine whether observed phenomena provide evidence for a theory is an empirical question, not an a priori one. Finally, in order to deal with numerous cases in which evidence is insufficient to establish a theory, or where no theory is even available, Achinstein describes and defends three scientific methods proposed by the 19th century theoretical physicist James Clerk Maxwell, in the course of developing his electrical and molecular theories.


[T]he renowned philosopher of science Peter Achinstein focuses on the question
whether observed phenomena constitute evidence that a theory is true. ...The book is clearly written, aims at a general audience and provides valuable insights into the works of these two icons of modern science. Thus, it is warmly recommended for the readers of Science & Education. --Science & Education

It is clear and, in places, almost conversational. It would be accessible to general readers or undergraduates. Scholars with an interest in Achinstein's work will find it valuable.... It is pleasant reading, and I commend it to anyone who is curious about the lessons that might be drawn from Newton and Maxwell or about the strategic conception of method that Achinstein sketches. --P.D. Magnus, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews