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Theory-Ladenness of Observation
“Instruments do not deliver naked facts; they produce signals that require interpretation.”
01 / SUMMARY
In short
Scientific observation depends to varying degrees on concepts, models, calibrations, and theories of the instrument. Philosophers disagree about how much this compromises evidential independence.
03 / SCENE
In the wild
A detector peak becomes evidence for a particle only through models of the apparatus, noise, and physical process.
04 / LIMIT
The limit
Theory-laden observation is not therefore invented or immune to independent checks.
FINAL NOTE
What remains
Ask which assumptions turn a recorded signal into evidence about the world.