Self-Quiz 3.3: Gilbert Harman, Ethics and Observation

Harman claims that scientific observations are always

pure.

theory laden.

true.

misleading.

According to Harman, what defines a concept?

How a speaker understands the concept

The role it plays in some theory or system of beliefs

The object the concept picks out

Its Platonic form

What does it mean for a perception to be theory laden?

The perception is of a theory.

The perception is evidence for a theory.

What you perceive depends on the theories you hold.

What theories you hold depends on what you perceive.

What does Harman mean by "observation"?

An immediate judgment made in response to a situation without any conscious reasoning

A thing you see with your eyes

Something you intuit

All of the above

According to Harman, the physical facts _______ the scientific judgments you make.

explain

are explained by

are irrelevant to

are identical to

Harman claims that observational evidence plays a part in science because scientific

observations are always true.

theories just are conjunctions of observational statements.

principles can be justified by their role in explaining observations.

All of the above

What does Harman think you can infer from the judgment that the children are wrong to set the cat on fire?

Your moral sensibility opposes setting cats on fire.

The children's action has the property of being wrong.

Both of the above

None of the above

Harman claims that "observation" is ambiguous between

the content of your observation and the fact that you have the observation.

seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching.

actual evidence and apparent evidence.

true observation and false observation.

Quiz Content