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    When a thought experiment's conclusion depends on idealiz... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Thought experiments never go beyond the empirical premises in a way to which any empiricist would object.

    When a thought experiment's conclusion depends on idealizations that are physically unrealizable, it cannot be reconstructed as an argument from genuinely empirical premises without distorting its epistemic structure.

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    Key Terms

    Physically unrealizable(as used in philosophy of science)
    Something that cannot actually exist or happen in the real physical world, even though it might work perfectly in a mathematical equation.
    Reconstruct(as used in ethics)
    To build back up or recreate something based on available information—in this case, to figure out what decisions someone would make based on knowing their values and preferences.
    empirical premises(what the statement says the thought experiment cannot be reduced to)
    Starting points for an argument that are based on real observations and actual experience rather than just logical reasoning or imagination.
    epistemic structure(epistemology)
    The framework or system of how we can know something—what counts as evidence, proof, or justified belief about it.

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    idealization(Pragmatist response to the quantum mechanics / molecular shape paradox)
    A pragmatic simplification — such as treating an open system as closed — that is useful for practical purposes but does not accurately represent physical reality.
    thought experiment(The sage's rhetorical device comprising two hypothetical situations about the ruler of India.)
    A hypothetical scenario constructed to test what would count as sufficient grounds for a conclusion, here used by the sage to probe the epistemic standards for belief in God.

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    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedSkepticism1 linked

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    Thought experiments never go beyond the empirical premises in a way to which any...

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