71
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
L. Mari et al., Measurement across the Sciences, Springer Series in
Measurement Science and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65558-7_4
Chapter 4
Philosophical perspectives
on measurement
4.1 Introduction
Measurement is often considered an effective method for acquiring information
about the empirical world. When claiming to have measured something, the clear
implication is that the information one has obtained is of higher quality in some
sense (more dependable, more accurate, more objective, …) than the information
acquired via other means, such as conjecture based on personal intuition. However,
as previously noted, it is not always clear on what grounds activities referred to as
being measurements earn the epistemic and social authority commonly afforded to
them: In other words, what is it about an activity being a measurement that secures
the quality of its results? And can an answer to this question be given independently
of consideration of the particular area of application?
Providing answers to such questions necessitates confronting some of the most
fundamental questions humanity has asked regarding what can be known and how
we know it, such as these: What is there, and what is it like? Of what is it possible
to have knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How are knowledge claims justified, or how should they be justified? How is knowledge codified and communicated? Given how central these questions have been in the development of
philosophy, it is not surprising that the history of thinking about measurement is
deeply intertwined with the history of philosophy in general, and in particular of the
branches of philosophy concerned with science, ontology, epistemology, and semiotics. In order to better appreciate contemporary perspectives on measurement, and
in particular the issue of whether it is indeed possible to formulate a conception of
measurement applicable across the sciences, this chapter aims to provide a brief
background on the history of philosophical perspectives on measurement, and to
explore their impact on thinking and discourse about measurement in both the
human and physical sciences.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
L. Mari et al., Measurement across the Sciences, Springer Series in
Measurement Science and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65558-7_4
Chapter 4
Philosophical perspectives
on measurement
4.1 Introduction
Measurement is often considered an effective method for acquiring information
about the empirical world. When claiming to have measured something, the clear
implication is that the information one has obtained is of higher quality in some
sense (more dependable, more accurate, more objective, …) than the information
acquired via other means, such as conjecture based on personal intuition. However,
as previously noted, it is not always clear on what grounds activities referred to as
being measurements earn the epistemic and social authority commonly afforded to
them: In other words, what is it about an activity being a measurement that secures
the quality of its results? And can an answer to this question be given independently
of consideration of the particular area of application?
Providing answers to such questions necessitates confronting some of the most
fundamental questions humanity has asked regarding what can be known and how
we know it, such as these: What is there, and what is it like? Of what is it possible
to have knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How are knowledge claims justified, or how should they be justified? How is knowledge codified and communicated? Given how central these questions have been in the development of
philosophy, it is not surprising that the history of thinking about measurement is
deeply intertwined with the history of philosophy in general, and in particular of the
branches of philosophy concerned with science, ontology, epistemology, and semiotics. In order to better appreciate contemporary perspectives on measurement, and
in particular the issue of whether it is indeed possible to formulate a conception of
measurement applicable across the sciences, this chapter aims to provide a brief
background on the history of philosophical perspectives on measurement, and to
explore their impact on thinking and discourse about measurement in both the
human and physical sciences.