Theory must be epiphenomenal to observation… We do it this way because it works better then trying to make predictions on the basis of concepts or abstract reasoning.
Theory directs observation. If you don’t make predictions and try to confirm or refute them, you’re back in the middle ages. Don’t judge the scientific method by Descartes and Kant.
Theory directs observation. If you don’t make predictions and try to confirm or refute them, you’re back in the middle ages. Don’t judge the scientific method by Descartes and Kant.
The word observation refers both to the process of gathering data and the data itself. Here I am using the word in the latter sense.