Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth

by Psillos,Stathis

• ISBN13: 9780415208185
• ISBN10: 0415208181
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-12-02
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Scientific Realismis the optimistic view that modern science is on the right track: that the world really is the way our best scientific theories describe it to be. In his book,Stathis Psillosgives 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 modern skeptical empiricism.Scientific Realismexplains that the history of science does not undermine the notion of scientific realism, and instead makes it reasonable to accept scientific 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.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Preface
Introduction
Empiricism and the realist turn	p. 1
Empiricism and theoretical discourse	p. 3
Theories as instruments?	p. 17
Carnap's neutralism	p. 40
In defence of scientific realism	p. 70
Sceptical challenges	p. 99
Resisting the pessimistic induction	p. 101
Historical illustrations	p. 115
Worrall's structural realism	p. 146
Underdetermination undermined	p. 162
Recent alternatives to realism	p. 183
Constructive empiricism scrutinised	p. 185
NOA, cognitive perfection and entity realism	p. 228
Refilling the realist toolbox	p. 259
Truth-likeness	p. 261
Reference of theoretical terms	p. 280
Notes	p. 301
Bibliography	p. 315
Index	p. 331
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