The material theory of induction and the epistemology of thought experiments

John D. Norton is responsible for a number of influential views in contemporary philosophy of science. This paper will discuss two of them. The material theory of induction claims that inductive arguments are ultimately justified by their material features, not their formal features. Thus, while a deductive argument can be valid irrespective of the content of the propositions that make up the argument, an inductive argument about, say, apples, will be justified (or not) depending on facts about apples. The argument view of thought experiments claims that thought experiments are arguments, and that they function epistemically however arguments do. These two views have generated a great deal of discussion, although there hasn't been much written about their combination. I argue that despite some interesting harmonies, there is a serious tension between them. I consider several options for easing this tension, before suggesting a set of changes to the argument view that I take to be consistent with Norton's fundamental philosophical commitments, and which retain what seems intuitively correct about the argument view. These changes require that we move away from a unitary epistemology of thought experiments and towards a more pluralist position.     

Debunking material induction

In this paper, we present an explanatory objection to Norton's material theory of induction, as applied to predictive inferences. According to the objection we present, there is an explanatory disconnect between our beliefs about the future and the relevant future facts. We argue that if we recognize such a disconnect, we are no longer rationally entitled to our future beliefs.     

Epistemic benefits of the material theory of induction

C. D. Broad famously labelled the problem of providing our inductive practices with a proper justification “the scandal of philosophy” (Broad, 1952). Recently, John Norton has provided a dissolution of this problem (2014). According to Norton, inductive inference is grounded in particular facts obtaining within particular domains (J. Norton, 2003b, 2010, 2014). Because the material theory does not involve a universal schema of induction, Norton claims it dissolves the problem of induction (which implies that such universal schemas cannot be justified).In this paper, I critically evaluate Norton's dissolution. In particular, I argue that the problem of induction is an epistemological problem, that Norton's material theory entails an externalist epistemology, and that it is a common feature of such epistemologies that they dissolve the problem of induction. The upshot is that the material theory is not unique in its ability to reap the specifically epistemic benefits of dissolving the problem of induction, and thus that the epistemic advantages of the material theory over extant alternatives in this regard are fewer than it may appear at first sight.     

Predicting exchange rates in Asia: New insights on the accuracy of survey forecasts

By linking measures of forecast accuracy as well as testing procedures with regard to forecast rationality this paper investigates aggregated survey forecasts with forecast horizons of 3, 12, and 24 months for the exchange rates of the Chinese yuan, the Hong Kong dollar, the Japanese yen, and the Singapore dollar vis-à-vis the US dollar and, hence, for four different currency regimes. The rationality of the exchange rate predictions is initially assessed utilizing tests for unbiasedness and efficiency which indicate that the investigated forecasts are irrational in the sense that the predictions are biased. As one major contribution of this paper, it is subsequently shown that these results are not consistent with an alternative, less restrictive, measure of rationality. Investigating the order of integration of the time series as well as cointegrating relationships, this empirical evidence supports the conclusion that the majority of forecasts are in fact rational. Regarding forerunning properties of the predictions, the results are rather mediocre, with shorter term forecasts for the tightly managed USD/CNY FX regime being one exception. As one additional important and novel evaluation result, it can be concluded, that the currency regime matters for the quality of exchange rate forecasts.     

基于解释结构模型和MICMAC的城市交通拥堵问题分析

通过对城市交通拥堵现状的调查研究,从管理、设施和交通参与者3个方面归纳出造成城市交通拥堵的11个主要因素,建立了解释结构模型,分析了各因素间的层级关系,通过交叉影响矩阵相乘法(matriced impacts corises-multiplication appliance classment, MICMAC)分析对影响因素进行了分类,进一步分析了各因素对交通拥堵的影响,找到了造成城市交通拥堵的表层、中层和底层影响因素,为缓解城市交通拥堵问题提供了可供借鉴的依据.     

栎树猝死病在中国的入侵风险评估

【目的】栎树猝死病是一种为害林木和观赏植物的毁灭性病害,发病迅速,短期内即可造成寄主植物大量死亡,寄主范围非常广泛,主要为害阔叶树树种。对其在我国的适生区范围进行预测,并系统评估其入侵风险,有助于更好地制定针对性的防治及检疫措施。【方法】采用MaxEnt生态位模型,以栎树猝死病菌现有分布点的环境变量为基础运算预测模型,结合地理信息系统ArcGIS绘制其在中国的适生预测图;并以南京林业大学有害生物入侵预防与控制重点实验室建立的多指标综合评价体系为标准,从5个准则层下设18个指标层因子,对栎树猝死病菌在我国的入侵风险进行了定性和定量的分析。【结果】MaxEnt模型测试遗漏率与预测遗漏率基本吻合,ROC(receiver operating characteristic, ROC)曲线的AUC值(area under curver, AUC)为0.974,标准差为0.008,明显高于随机分布模型,说明该模型对栎树猝死病菌在我国的适生区预测结果可信度较高,可作为后续评估依据。栎树猝死病菌在中国的适生范围在101.9°~122.9° E,18.9°~38.0° N,主要位于我国秦岭淮河以南的南方地区,集中在长江中下游平原和武夷山脉、南岭以南的沿海地区,约占中国行政区划面积的19.6%。栎树猝死病菌在中国的入侵风险指标值R为2.64,属于极高风险的有害生物。【结论】模型预测结果的可信度较高,鉴于栎树猝死病菌在我国暂无分布记录,且在多指标评价体系中被归为极高风险等级,建议在进境检疫中对其可能寄主植物实施严格检疫及2年以上的隔离试种,防止其进入中国。     

隧道爆破力学模型相似材料配比的正交试验

以砂岩作为模拟对象,研究满足隧道爆破力学模型试验要求的相似材料配比问题.基于正交试验法,选取石英砂、重晶石粉、石膏、水泥和水为相似材料,设置以石英砂/固体、水泥/石膏、重晶石粉/(重晶石粉+石英砂)的质量比为3个因素,每个因素3个水平,共9组配比的正交试验方案.通过室内试验,得到相似材料的密度、单轴抗压强度、弹性模量和声波波速的实测数据.试验结果表明:相似材料的物理力学参数分布范围较广,可满足不同隧道模型试验对相似材料的配比要求.利用极差敏感分析法分析各因素对相似材料参数的敏感性,并通过各因素对相似材料参数影响的直观分析图,分析各因素对相似材料物理力学参数的影响规律.对试验数据进行多元线性回归分析和室内试验,发现最优配合比下的相似材料与原型砂岩的单轴应力-应变曲线具有相似的脆性破坏特征;相似材料物理力学参数的设计值和实测值误差较小.     

中国与“一带一路”沿线部分国家的经济关系动态分析

GTAP(Global Trade Analysis Project)模型综合考虑了资本总量、资本流动、人口因素、国民生产总值等多项指标,可以用于各相关国的经济发展和经济合作互动关系分析.选用GTAP模型,分析了中国与一带一路沿线部分国家的经济互动关系.在西亚地区选择了沙特阿拉伯、以色列、伊朗、阿曼、阿联酋、科威特、伊拉克共7国,分别在降低关税20%和降低关税50%两种假设条件下展开实证分析.实证结果显示:在关税分别降低20%和50%两种假设条件下,中国和西亚诸国的GDP都有一定程度增加,各国之间进出口规模都有一定程度的扩大,这表明"一带一路"倡议对于沿线各国的经济发展和合作互动具有明显的促进作用.     

基于知识图谱法的国内古镇研究可视化分析

以中国知网(CNKI)核心期刊与CSSCI库收录的1992—2017年我国研究古镇的682篇相关论文为数据,通过引文分析软件(Citespace V)对其进行可视化分析,绘制出国内古镇研究的知识图谱,描述和分析国内古镇研究的现状与热点.结果表明:发文作者核心团队不明显,呈现出"整体分散、局部集中"的特点,核心作者之间缺乏学术交流;同济大学处于核心地位,与较多机构存在合作关系,而其他机构科研能力与其相差较大;古镇领域主题随时间变化分为古镇资源研究、古镇保护与发展和古镇文化传承3个阶段,但近些年缺乏理论创新;古镇研究大致沿4个方向发展,研究内容与方法趋于多元化与多学科交叉.并从理论、视角和方法3个方面对国内古镇研究的趋势进行展望,为今后本领域的研究提供参考与借鉴.     

基于收益率的股票相关性计量分析

针对股票间相关性，通过相关分析、系统聚类分析、网络构建等多种方法，以收益率为对象，建立股票间相关性度量指标模型，运用软件 Excel、Matlab 得出股票相关系数矩阵，并设置合适的阈值，利用软件Netdraw 构建出基于最佳阈值和相关系数所对应的股票网络。然后从所建网络出发，对中国股票市场中的板块进行聚类分析，最终建立起一个以收益率为指标来研究股票相关性的模型，为研究股票相关性提供了一个相对比较完善的方案。