What are the implications of scientific realism and anti-realism?

Introduction

The debate between scientific realism and anti-realism is a central issue in the philosophy of science. Scientific realism posits that the entities, states, and processes described by scientific theories genuinely exist, while anti-realism contends that these theories are merely useful tools for predicting and explaining phenomena without necessarily being true.

Key Insights

Existence of Theoretical Entities:
- Scientific realism asserts that entities like protons, photons, and black holes exist as described by correct theories .
- Anti-realism argues that these entities are fictional constructs used to predict and produce events of interest .
Nature of Scientific Theories:
- Realists believe that scientific theories aim to discover the true nature of the world and often get close to the truth .
- Anti-realists view theories as intellectual tools that are useful or applicable but not necessarily true .
Interpretation of Scientific Success:
- Realists argue that the success of scientific theories in explaining and predicting phenomena indicates their approximate truth.
- Anti-realists counter that historical shifts in scientific theories show that success does not guarantee truth, as many once-successful theories were later discarded.
Philosophical Positions and Criticisms:
- Realist positions, such as those by Quine and Sellars, suggest that accepting a theory entails accepting the existence of its posited entities.
- Anti-realist positions, including those by Hesse, Sneed, and van Fraassen, offer alternative interpretations that avoid ontic commitments but face criticisms for inconsistencies and inadequacies.
Impact on Social Sciences:
- Historically, social scientists have practiced realism, aiming for objective accounts of the social world.
- The rise of anti-realist philosophies like subjectivism, conventionalism, and social constructivism has been criticized for causing damage to social studies.

Conclusion

The debate between scientific realism and anti-realism revolves around the existence and nature of theoretical entities and the interpretation of scientific theories. Realists argue for the approximate truth of scientific theories based on their explanatory and predictive success, while anti-realists view these theories as useful tools without committing to their truth. This debate extends beyond natural sciences to social sciences, influencing methodologies and interpretations in various fields.

What are the implications of scientific realism and anti-realism?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

Representing and Intervening: What is scientific realism?

Scientific realism states that entities, states, and processes described by correct theories exist, while anti-realism suggests theories are tools for thinking rather than literal statements of how the world is.

Scientific Realism: The New Debates

Anti-realistic positions in scientific realism, such as Hesse's neo-Duhemian position and Sneed's axiomatrization method, challenge the ontic commitments of realist positions and may lead to inconsistencies in scientific explanations.

Realism and antirealism in social science

Antirealist philosophies in social studies are false and cause serious damage, while scientific realism, which involves scientific objectivity, remains the most effective approach for understanding the social world.

Realism Versus Antirealism in Contemporary Philosophy of Science

Scientific realists believe that science can yield theoretical knowledge, while antirealists believe that science cannot yield theoretical knowledge, and that the success of our best scientific theories does not warrant belief in their approximate truth.

Anti-realism About Science

Anti-realist arguments are important and worth considering, but they do not pose an insurmountable threat to a realist conception of science, which holds that the truth of our best-confirmed theories best explains their success.

Arguments for Philosophical Realism in Library and Information Science

Realist philosophy and information science are essential for understanding relevance, information seeking, retrieval, and knowledge organization in all types of information systems.

Scientific Realism and Metaphysics

Scientific realism should be committed to the factualist view of reality, independent of physicalism and non-Humeanism, and requires the concept of truth for a sensible understanding of its metaphysical commitments.

New Realism and Scientific Realism

New realism and scientific realism can be viewed as complementary, addressing the epistemic content of scientific theories and evaluating the 'new realist' stance.

The problems of scientific realism today

Scientific realism faces challenges due to ontological and epistemological confusion, but understanding the complex relationship between theory and experience can lead to a more positive development in science.

The Best Explanation: A Defense of Scientific Realism

Scientific realism is a positive epistemic attitude towards both observable and unobservable aspects of the world, and the pessimistic meta-induction argument is insufficient to abandon it.

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