Abstract

ABSTRACT The argument of inference to the best explanation sets up that, given a phenomenon to be explained, several rival hypotheses race to provide an explanation and the hypothesis that explains the phenomenon better than its rival gives good reasons for the belief in its truth and, therefore, for the acceptance of such hypothesis. The argument supposes that these rival hypotheses share the same phenomenon to be explained. In this paper it is argued that, in a few scientific episodes, scientists with different hypotheses, even if sharing the phenomenon to be explained, have different goals regarding the handling of the phenomenon; but then an issue arises as to the structure of the argument, since setting different aims to handle a phenomenon would result in an axiological targeting by the scientists, one not enclosed in the structure of the argument. In addition, axiological targeting can also show itself as something crucial for the issue of accepting a hypothesis, a state of affair not foreseen in the argument of inference to the best explanation again. The purpose of this paper is, by means of “research programs” principle by Imre Lakatos, and by means of a case study – the acceptance of the DNA double helix model – to sustain the concept that the axiological difference may prove to be crucial for the acceptance of one hypothesis rather than other rival hypotheses.