Mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of thought experiments

Ascertain the cognitive and methodological mechanisms by which scientific thought experiments—defined here as deriving conclusions through internal neural reasoning without empirical measurement—produce trustworthy results, including why and how such reasoning processes work.

Background

The authors explicitly describe their methodology as a thought experiment and acknowledge ignorance regarding its functioning. They note that much of science has historically involved such reasoning, yet they concede they do not understand why or how it works. This raises a foundational question about the reliability and epistemology of conclusions derived from thought experiments without empirical validation.