Operationalism

[siliconwafer]

Operationalism is the idea that a scientific concept should be defined solely in terms of the operations required to detect or measure instances of the concept. For example, the scientific concept "kinetic energy" should be defined in terms of the procedure or procedures used to measure it.

What do you think of operationalism? One thing I have noticed is that if the measurement method defines the scientific concept and there is nothing more to the meaning of the concept, then the measurement method is automatically correct by definition. There would be nothing that would verify that measurement method is correct.

[shunyadragon]

Operationalism is the idea that a scientific concept should be defined solely in terms of the operations required to detect or measure instances of the concept. For example, the scientific concept "kinetic energy" should be defined in terms of the procedure or procedures used to measure it.

What do you think of operationalism? One thing I have noticed is that if the measurement method defines the scientific concept and there is nothing more to the meaning of the concept, then the measurement method is automatically correct by definition.

First problem with this is that a scientific concept needs to use both the methods, operations, and observations used to define the concept in operationalism. Given methods and operations may be used to define different concepts, and a given concepts may be defined by different operations and methods, which is one way the methods and operation are verified as correct.

Objective methods of scientific methods use repetition and different methods and operations, including observations, to verify scientific theories and hypothesis, and by the way the methods and operations used to define the concept.

I am not sure which rabbit in Cambrian rocks, or which hole in the ocean you are looking for here, but basically operationalism, or the assumptions required have any significant impact on the results of science. I have never seen anyone demonstrate a different result on the development of a theory or a hypothesis if two different approaches are applied; operationalism or logical positivism.

There would be nothing that would verify that measurement method is correct.

To demonstrate methods and operations, one applies different methods and operations to the same concept, to verify their reliability.