The Ramsey–Lewis method is a method for defining terms found in

theoretical framework A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...

s (such as in

scientific theories A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that has been repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluation ...

), credited to

Frank P. Ramsey Frank Plumpton Ramsey (; 22 February 1903 – 19 January 1930) was a British people, British philosopher, mathematician, and economist who made major contributions to all three fields before his death at the age of 26. He was a close friend of L ...

and David Lewis. By using this method, a set of theoretical terms appearing in a

theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...

can be defined implicitly by the assertions of the theory itself.

Overview

scientific theory A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that has been repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluatio ...

which attempts to describe "

electron The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no kn ...

s" is inherently abstract, as no one has ever observed an electron directly. Thus, the origin and content of the concept of "electron" is questionable. What does the word exactly signify? Ramsey and Lewis proposed that the meaning of the term "electron" is implicitly generated by the scientific theory that describes it, via all its assertions about electrons. Electrons are those things about which all the statements of the theory are true. However, some of those statements in a theory refer to other unobserved entities and properties such as "charge" or "spin". For instance, "Electrons attract

proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' elementary charge. Its mass is slightly less than that of a neutron and 1,836 times the mass of an electron (the proton–electron mass ...

s" and "Electrons have negative charge" employ the terms "protons" and "negative charge" (with the latter also implicitly using the concept of "charge"). These properties are formalized, statements (such as

conditionals Conditional (if then) may refer to: *Causal conditional, if X then Y, where X is a cause of Y *Conditional probability, the probability of an event A given that another event B has occurred *Conditional proof, in logic: a proof that asserts a co ...

) are formed using them, and those statements taken together are the

definition A definition is a statement of the meaning of a term (a word, phrase, or other set of symbols). Definitions can be classified into two large categories: intensional definitions (which try to give the sense of a term), and extensional definitio ...

of the term. Consider a sentence such as "There's an electron in the sink." This means something along the lines of: "There exist some properties ''P''₁, ''P''₂, ..., ''P''_''n'' ( one for every theoretical property involved in the scientific theory, with 'electronhood' (which roughly corresponds to the

essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

of an

included as ''P''₁) such that... (a statement in the scientific theory, but with ''P''₁, ..., ''P''_''n'' substituted for the specific terms such as 'charge', 'is an electron', etc. employed by the theory), and there is something in the sink that has ''P''₁." The process of converting the narrative form of a scientific theory into

second-order logic In logic and mathematics, second-order logic is an extension of first-order logic, which itself is an extension of propositional logic. Second-order logic is in turn extended by higher-order logic and type theory. First-order logic quantifies onl ...

is commonly called "Ramsification" (sometimes also spelled "Ramseyfication"). Example: Suppose there are only three principles in our scientific theory about electrons (those principles can be seen to be statements involving the properties): A1. Electrons (things that have P1) have charge (P2). A2. Things with charge (P2) tickle you. A3. Electrons (things that have P1) cause lightning. Furthermore, we include the property of "electronhood", as outlined above, to be designated by ''P''₁, and the property of "charge" to be designated by ''P''₂. Then the meaning of a sentence such as "I have an electron in my pocket" is Ramsified into: "There are properties ''P''₁ and ''P''₂ such that (things with ''P''₁ also have ''P''₂, and things with ''P''₂ tickle you, and things with ''P''₁ cause lightning, and there is a thing with ''P''₁ in my pocket)." (, who cites .)

Notes

Sources

* **Originally published as * * as cited by

External links

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An outline of the Ramsey–Lewis method
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey-Lewis method Philosophy of science