conventionalism

conventionalism
Conventionalism is the view that the adoption by the relevant scientific community of one theory rather than its rival(s) is a matter of mere convention.
It is now widely accepted in the philosophy of science that even the best-established scientific laws and theories are not fully confirmed by the factual evidence upon which they are based. In part, this is because such laws and theories are usually universal in scope, and so make claims which of necessity go beyond any finite set of evidence for them. Also, the evidence is itself conceptualized and described in terms which are informed by theory. If this is so, choice between rival theories is never determined by the facts and logic alone.
Against conventionalism, it is possible to argue that, in the absence of conclusive proof of a logical or factual kind, there may still be good reasons for accepting one theory as more plausible, better supported by the evidence, and so on, than any available alternative.

Dictionary of sociology. 2013.

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  • Conventionalism — is the philosophical attitude that fundamental principles of a certain kind are grounded on (explicit or implicit) agreements in society, rather than on external reality.[citation needed] Although this attitude is commonly held with respect to… …   Wikipedia

  • convenţionalism — CONVENŢIONALÍSM s.n. Caracterul a ceea ce este convenţional; (în artă) tendinţă idealistă de a se conforma regulilor deja acceptate (accepta), fără o percepere proprie, realistă, a faptelor. [pr.: ţi o ] – Din fr. conventionalisme. Trimis de… …   Dicționar Român

  • Conventionalism — Con*ven tion*al*ism, n. 1. That which is received or established by convention or arbitrary agreement; that which is in accordance with the fashion, tradition, or usage. [1913 Webster] All the artifice and conventionalism of life. Hawthorne.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • conventionalism — index custom Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • conventionalism — A theory that magnifies the role of decisions, or free selection from amongst equally possible alternatives, in order to show that what appears to be objective or fixed by nature is in fact an artefact of human convention, similar to conventions… …   Philosophy dictionary

  • conventionalism — noun see conventional …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • conventionalism — /keuhn ven sheuh nl iz euhm/, n. 1. adherence to or advocacy of conventional attitudes or practices. 2. something conventional, as an expression or attitude. 3. Philos. the view that fundamental principles are validated by definition, agreement,… …   Universalium

  • conventionalism — noun a) Adherence to social conventions; conventional behavior b) The doctrine that logical or mathematical principles are simply the expression of conventions See Also: conventionalist …   Wiktionary

  • convenţionalísm — s. n. (sil. ţi o ) …   Romanian orthography

  • conventionalism — con ven·tion·al·ism || ʃnÉ™lɪzÉ™m n. conventional behavior, adherence to accepted norms …   English contemporary dictionary

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