The Routledge Handbook Of Scientific Realism

Author : Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 907 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2017-11-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351362900

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The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism by Juha Saatsi Pdf

Scientific realism is a central, long-standing, and hotly debated topic in philosophy of science. Debates about scientific realism concern the very nature and extent of scientific knowledge and progress. Scientific realists defend a positive epistemic attitude towards our best theories and models regarding how they represent the world that is unobservable to our naked senses. Various realist theses are under sceptical fire from scientific antirealists, e.g. empiricists and instrumentalists. The different dimensions of the ensuing debate centrally connect to numerous other topics in philosophy of science and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is an outstanding reference source – the first collection of its kind – to the key issues, positions, and arguments in this important topic. Its thirty-four chapters, written by a team of international experts, are divided into five parts: Historical development of the realist stance Classic debate: core issues and positions Perspectives on contemporary debates The realism debate in disciplinary context Broader reflections In these sections, the core issues and debates presented, analysed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central issues covered include motivations and arguments for realism; challenges to realism from underdetermination and history of science; different variants of realism; the connection of realism to relativism and perspectivism; and the relationship between realism, metaphysics, and epistemology. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science. It will also be very useful for anyone interested in the nature and extent of scientific knowledge.

Author : Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 456 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2017-11-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351362917

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The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism by Juha Saatsi Pdf

Scientific realism is a central, long-standing, and hotly debated topic in philosophy of science. Debates about scientific realism concern the very nature and extent of scientific knowledge and progress. Scientific realists defend a positive epistemic attitude towards our best theories and models regarding how they represent the world that is unobservable to our naked senses. Various realist theses are under sceptical fire from scientific antirealists, e.g. empiricists and instrumentalists. The different dimensions of the ensuing debate centrally connect to numerous other topics in philosophy of science and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is an outstanding reference source – the first collection of its kind – to the key issues, positions, and arguments in this important topic. Its thirty-four chapters, written by a team of international experts, are divided into five parts: Historical development of the realist stance Classic debate: core issues and positions Perspectives on contemporary debates The realism debate in disciplinary context Broader reflections In these sections, the core issues and debates presented, analysed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central issues covered include motivations and arguments for realism; challenges to realism from underdetermination and history of science; different variants of realism; the connection of realism to relativism and perspectivism; and the relationship between realism, metaphysics, and epistemology. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science. It will also be very useful for anyone interested in the nature and extent of scientific knowledge.

Author : Stathis Psillos
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2005-08-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134619818

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Scientific Realism by Stathis Psillos Pdf

Scientific realism is the optimistic view that modern science is on the right track: that the world really is the way our best scientific theories describe it . In his book, Stathis Psillos gives us a detailed and comprehensive study which restores the intuitive plausibility of scientific realism. We see that throughout the twentieth century, scientific realism has been challenged by philosophical positions from all angles: from reductive empiricism, to instrumentalism and to modern sceptical empiricism. Scientific Realism explains that the history of science does not undermine the arguments for scientific realism, but instead makes it reasonable to accept scientific realism as the best philosophical account of science, its empirical success, its progress and its practice. Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the state of modern science and why scientific realism is plausible, should read this book.

Author : Darrell P. Rowbottom
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2019-03-25
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780429663574

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The Instrument of Science by Darrell P. Rowbottom Pdf

Roughly, instrumentalism is the view that science is primarily, and should primarily be, an instrument for furthering our practical ends. It has fallen out of favour because historically influential variants of the view, such as logical positivism, suffered from serious defects. In this book, however, Darrell P. Rowbottom develops a new form of instrumentalism, which is more sophisticated and resilient than its predecessors. This position—‘cognitive instrumentalism’—involves three core theses. First, science makes theoretical progress primarily when it furnishes us with more predictive power or understanding concerning observable things. Second, scientific discourse concerning unobservable things should only be taken literally in so far as it involves observable properties or analogies with observable things. Third, scientific claims about unobservable things are probably neither approximately true nor liable to change in such a way as to increase in truthlikeness. There are examples from science throughout the book, and Rowbottom demonstrates at length how cognitive instrumentalism fits with the development of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century chemistry and physics, and especially atomic theory. Drawing upon this history, Rowbottom also argues that there is a kind of understanding, empirical understanding, which we can achieve without having true, or even approximately true, representations of unobservable things. In closing the book, he sets forth his view on how the distinction between the observable and unobservable may be drawn, and compares cognitive instrumentalism with key contemporary alternatives such as structural realism, constructive empiricism, and semirealism. Overall, this book offers a strong defence of instrumentalism that will be of interest to scholars and students working on the debate about realism in philosophy of science.

Author : A.R.J. Fisher,Anna-Sofia Maurin
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 432 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2023-12-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781003811893

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The Routledge Handbook of Properties by A.R.J. Fisher,Anna-Sofia Maurin Pdf

Philosophical questions regarding both the existence and nature of properties are ubiquitous in ordinary life, the sciences, and philosophical theorising. In philosophy, it is one of the oldest topics discussed in various intellectual traditions – East and West – reaching back to Plato and Aristotle. Today, in the analytic tradition, properties continue to be a core area of study and research. The Routledge Handbook of Properties is an outstanding reference source to this perennial topic and is the first major volume of its kind. It contains forty specially commissioned chapters written by an international team of expert contributors, and is divided into nine clear parts: Methodology and Metaontology Distinctions Realism about Universals Nominalism Trope Theory Properties in Causation, Time, and Modality Properties in Science Properties in Language and Mind Properties in the Normative Realm, the Social World, and Aesthetics The Routledge Handbook of Properties is essential reading for anyone studying and researching metaphysics, metametaphysics, and ontology, and will also be of interest to those in closely related areas such as philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, ethics, and aesthetics.

Author : John Jamieson Carswell Smart
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 1963
Category : Philosophy and science
ISBN : 0415420296

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Philosophy and Scientific Realism by John Jamieson Carswell Smart Pdf

Author : Martin Kusch
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 704 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2019-12-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351052283

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The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism by Martin Kusch Pdf

Relativism can be found in all philosophical traditions and subfields of philosophy. It is also a central idea in the social sciences, the humanities, religion and politics. This is the first volume to map relativistic motifs in all areas of philosophy, synchronically and diachronically. It thereby provides essential intellectual tools for thinking about contemporary issues like cultural diversity, the plurality of the sciences, or the scope of moral values. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism is an outstanding major reference source on this fundamental topic. The 57 chapters by a team of international contributors are divided into nine parts: Relativism in non-Western philosophical traditions Relativism in Western philosophical traditions Relativism in ethics Relativism in political and legal philosophy Relativism in epistemology Relativism in metaphysics Relativism in philosophy of science Relativism in philosophy of language and mind Relativism in other areas of philosophy. Essential reading for students and researchers in all branches of philosophy, this handbook will also be of interest to those in related subjects such as politics, religion, sociology, cultural studies and literature.

Author : Martin Kusch
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 582 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2019-12-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351052290

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The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism by Martin Kusch Pdf

Relativism can be found in all philosophical traditions and subfields of philosophy. It is also a central idea in the social sciences, the humanities, religion and politics. This is the first volume to map relativistic motifs in all areas of philosophy, synchronically and diachronically. It thereby provides essential intellectual tools for thinking about contemporary issues like cultural diversity, the plurality of the sciences, or the scope of moral values. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Relativism is an outstanding major reference source on this fundamental topic. The 57 chapters by a team of international contributors are divided into nine parts: Relativism in non-Western philosophical traditions Relativism in Western philosophical traditions Relativism in ethics Relativism in political and legal philosophy Relativism in epistemology Relativism in metaphysics Relativism in philosophy of science Relativism in philosophy of language and mind Relativism in other areas of philosophy. Essential reading for students and researchers in all branches of philosophy, this handbook will also be of interest to those in related subjects such as politics, religion, sociology, cultural studies and literature.

Author : Howard Sankey
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 174 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2016-04-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317058809

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Scientific Realism and the Rationality of Science by Howard Sankey Pdf

Scientific realism is the position that the aim of science is to advance on truth and increase knowledge about observable and unobservable aspects of the mind-independent world which we inhabit. This book articulates and defends that position. In presenting a clear formulation and addressing the major arguments for scientific realism Sankey appeals to philosophers beyond the community of, typically Anglo-American, analytic philosophers of science to appreciate and understand the doctrine. The book emphasizes the epistemological aspects of scientific realism and contains an original solution to the problem of induction that rests on an appeal to the principle of uniformity of nature.

Author : K. Brad Wray
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 237 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2018-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9781108415217

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Resisting Scientific Realism by K. Brad Wray Pdf

Provides a spirited defence of anti-realism in philosophy of science. Shows the historical evidence and logical challenges facing scientific realism.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 1968
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:918414165

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Philosophy and Scientific Realism by Anonim Pdf

Author : Evandro Agazzi
Publisher : Springer
Page : 405 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2017-03-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319516080

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Varieties of Scientific Realism by Evandro Agazzi Pdf

This book offers a comprehensive update on the scientific realism debate, enabling readers to gain a novel appreciation of the role of objectivity and truth in science and to understand fully the various ways in which antirealist conceptions have been subjected to challenge over recent decades. Authoritative representatives of different philosophical traditions explain their perspectives on the meaning and validity of scientific realism and describe the strategies being adopted to counter persisting antirealist positions. The coverage extends beyond the usual discussion of realism within the context of the natural sciences, and especially physics, to encompass also its applicability in mathematics, logic, and the human sciences. The book will appeal to all with an interest in the recent realist epistemologies of science, the nature of current philosophical debate, and the ongoing rehabilitation of truth as the legitimate goal of scientific research.

Author : Steven French,Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 335 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2020-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198814979

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Scientific Realism and the Quantum by Steven French,Juha Saatsi Pdf

Quantum theory is widely regarded as one of the most successful theories in the history of science. It explains a hugely diverse array of phenomena and is a natural candidate for our best representation of the world at the level of 'fundamental' physics. But how can the world be the way quantum theory says it is? It is famously unclear what the world is like according to quantum physics, which presents a serious problem for the scientific realist who is committed to regarding our best theories as more or less true. The present volume canvasses a variety of responses to this problem, from restricting or revising realism in different ways to exploring entirely new directions in the lively debate surrounding realist interpretations of quantum physics. Some urge us to focus on new formulations of the theory itself, while others examine the status of scientific realism in the further context of quantum field theory. Each chapter is written by a renowned specialist in the field and is aimed at graduate students and researchers in both physics and the philosophy of science. Together they offer a range of illuminating new perspectives on this fundamental debate and exemplify the fruitful interaction between physics and philosophy.

Author : Roy Bhaskar
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2009-01-26
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134009411

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Scientific Realism and Human Emancipation by Roy Bhaskar Pdf

Following on from Roy Bhaskar’s first two books, A Realist Theory of Science and The Possibility of Naturalism, Scientific Realism and Human Emancipation, establishes the conception of social science as explanatory—and thence emancipatory—critique. Scientific Realism and Human Emancipation starts from an assessment of the impasse of contemporary accounts of science as stemming from an incomplete critique of positivism. It then proceeds to a systematic exposition of scientific realism in the form of transcendental realism, highlighting a conception of science as explanatory of a structured, differentiated and changing world. Turning to the social domain, the book argues for a view of the social order as conditioned by, and emergent from, nature. Advocating a critical naturalism, the author shows how the transformational model of social activity together with the conception of social science as explanatory critique which it entails, resolves the divisions and dualisms besetting orthodox social and normative theory: between society and the individual, structure and agency, meaning and behavior, mind and body, reason and cause, fact and value, and theory and practice. The book then goes on to discuss the emancipatory implications of social science and sketches the nature of the depth investigation characteristically entailed. In the highly innovative third part of the book Roy Bhaskar completes his critique of positivism by developing a theory of philosophical discourse and ideology, on the basis of the transcendental realism and critical naturalism already developed, showing how positivism functions as a restrictive ideology of and for science and other social practices.

Author : Andre Kukla
Publisher : Oxford University Press on Demand
Page : 189 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1998-04-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780195118650

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Studies in Scientific Realism by Andre Kukla Pdf

This book offers a clear analysis of the standard arguments for and against scientific realism (i.e., the position that the theoretical entities postulated by science exist). Kukla focuses on what Jarrett Leplin calls minimal epistemic realism, which merely claims that it is not impossible to have good reasons for believing that theoretical entities exist (most scientific realists want to claim more than this). In surveying claims on both sides of the debate, Kukla organizes them in ways that expose unnoticed connections, permitting recognition of generic failings and anticipation of generic responses. Time and again he reveals influential arguments to be special cases of broader patterns of inference which are mistaken or question-begging in some important way. At the same time, he finds new ways to reconcile seemingly incompatible positions, or to escape some supposed disastrous implication. And some of the unoccupied positions that Kukla discovers and develops constitute positive contributions with the potential to influence further debate. Kukla's book is for students and scholars of philosophy of science as well as scientists interested in questions bearing upon the philosophical foundations of their discipline.