?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Thoughts%2C+Things%2C+and+Theories&rft.creator=Winter%2C+Mr.+Blake&rft.subject=Epistemology&rft.subject=Philosophy+of+Science&rft.subject=Metaphysics&rft.description=We+to+critique+the+following+question%3A+can+we+have+reasonable+certainty+that+the+terms+in+speculative+or+empirical+theories+correspond+meaningfully+to+things+in+the+ontological+structure+of+the+world%2C+or+are+they+only+convenient+fictions+useful+for+predicting+phenomena%3F+We+first+justify+this+question+as+meaningful%2C+and+capable+of+admitting+a+meaningful+answer.+We+then+analyze+question+itself+with+examples+from+physics+and+biology.+We+conclude+that+we+can+be+reasonably+certain+that+the+terms+in+an+empirical+theory+have+some+degree+of+ontological+significance%2C+provided+that+they+are+directly+related+to+phenomenal+experiences.+We+also+suggest+that+the+advance+of+science+can+be+aided+through+this+understanding.+Finally+we+use+these+conclusions+to+analyze+the+existence+of+the+mind+and+certain+physical+structures.&rft.date=2009-02-11&rft.type=Preprint&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F6356%2F1%2FTTES.pdf&rft.identifier=++Winter%2C+Mr.+Blake++(2009)+Thoughts%2C+Things%2C+and+Theories.++%5BPreprint%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F6356%2F