Norton's empiricist reconstruction of thought experiments systematically fails for cases like Einstein's elevator, where the equivalence principle is not derived from prior experience but constitutes a novel conceptual stipulation.

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Conceptual stipulation(what the equivalence principle is claimed to be instead): When you define or set up a new idea for the sake of argument, rather than basing it on things you've already experienced.
Einstein's elevator(the specific example challenging Norton's theory): A famous thought experiment created by physicist Albert Einstein where you imagine being in an elevator in outer space that's accelerating upward, used to explain how gravity and acceleration are connected.
Empiricist(a philosophical position about the source of knowledge): Someone who believes that knowledge comes primarily from experience and observation rather than from ideas you're born with.
Equivalence principle(what is supposedly derived from the thought experiment): Einstein's idea that the experience of gravity (like standing on Earth) is essentially the same as the experience of acceleration (like being in a rocket speeding up).

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