According to Laplace et al., which of the following are ways in which the conceptual clarification of scientific terms provided by philosophers can improve science? (Check BOTH that apply)

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In evaluating how conceptual clarification of scientific terms might benefit science according to Laplace et al., we consider what each proposed benefit would entail.
Option A: 'Conceptual clarification can help scientists avoid mistakes made in the past.' This has merit because clarifying what terms mean can reveal assumptions or misinterpretations that led to prior errors, thereby reducing repetition of the same mistakes. It emphasizes learning from history and ensuring clearer boundaries between concepts to guide correct inference.
Option B: 'Conceptual clarification can improve the precision and usefulness of scientific terms.' This is a direct and widely accepted claim: clearer definitions lead to more precise communication, better replication, and more effective application of concepts within research and practice. Precision in terminology often translates to better experimental design and interpretation.
Option C: 'Conceptual clarification can open up new avenues of research depending on how a scientific concept is interpreted.' This option highlights a less obvious but important point: the way we interpret and define concepts can reframe problems, reveal gaps, and suggest new questions, thereby catalyzing novel research directions.
Option D: 'Conceptual clarification allows scientists to more easily communicate with researchers in other scientific disciplines.' While clearer terms can facilitate cross-disciplinary dialogue, this benefit depends on shared interfaces and compatible definitions across fields. The statement is plausible but somewhat contingent, and it is not as universally emphasized as the core aims of precision and novel research directions.
Overall, the strongest, directly supported benefits are the increase in precision/usefulness of terms (Option B) and the potential to open new research avenues through reinterpretation (Option C). The historical-avoidance aspect (Option A) is a reasonable ancillary benefit, but it rests on the premise that past mistakes were due to definitional ambiguity, which is plausible but not as central as precision or new research directions. The cross-disciplinary communication claim (Option D) is plausible in practice but can be more context-dependent and less central to the conceptual clarification project described by Laplace et al.
Therefore, the two most pertinent choices are Options B and C, with Option A being a possible secondary advantage and Option D being less universally guaranteed.

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According to Laplace et al., which of the following are ways in which the conceptual clarification of scientific terms provided by philosophers can improve science? (Check BOTH that apply)

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