Eliminative Reasoning in Astronomy and Astrophysics

I argue that a promising epistemology for astronomy and astrophysics (A and A) involves a new kind of eliminative reasoning. Unlike traditional conceptions that propose to eliminate rival theories or hypotheses, I argue that particular model assumptions should instead be weighed. Rather than a veridical comparison between theory predictions and individual observational results, Local Eliminative Reasoning has a web-like structure. Elimination results from a multi-step reasoning program that evaluates the introduction of a proposed assumption into the state space of previously or conditionally accepted evidence. Moreover, elimination is always and only a local endeavor. Model assumptions are evaluated within specific contexts.