underdetermination
un-der-dih-ter-mih-NAY-shun
ˌʌndərdɪˌtɜːrmɪˈneɪʃənListen
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Dictionary meaning
the thesis that the available empirical evidence is always logically compatible with multiple competing theories that differ in their claims about the world; associated with the Duhem-Quine thesis that hypotheses cannot be tested in isolation but only in conjunction with auxiliary assumptions; if evidence underdetermines theory choice, additional non-empirical virtues such as simplicity, coherence, and explanatory power must play a role in theory selection, raising questions about the objectivity and rationality of scientific practice
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