ABSTRACT
First is on specification. Within Giere’s single category, I distinguish two different kinds of specification. Theories contain principles with variables in them representing putative features for the world, such as f for force, a for acceleration, Φ for the quantum state, or H, the quantum Hamiltonian, for the possible energy states of a system. To make predictions about a given situation, we need to fill in, or specify, values for these variables.
