New Approaches to Scientific Realism

466 Pages·2020·1.581 MB·English

by  Wenceslao J. Gonzalez (editor)

NewApproachestoScientificRealism
Epistemic Studies
Philosophy of Science, Cognition and Mind
Edited by
Michael Esfeld, Stephan Hartmann, Albert Newen
EditorialAdvisoryBoard:
KatalinBalog,ClausBeisbart,CraigCallender,TimCrane,KatjaCrone,
OpheliaDeroy,MauroDorato,AlisonFernandes,JensHarbecke,
VeraHoffmann-Kolss,MaxKistler,BeateKrickel,AnnaMarmodoro,AlyssaNey,
HansRott,WolfgangSpohn,GottfriedVosgerau
Volume 42
New Approaches
to Scientific
Realism
Edited by
Wenceslao J. Gonzalez
ISBN978-3-11-066246-7
e-ISBN(PDF)978-3-11-066473-7
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-3-11-066267-2
ISSN2512-5168
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2020935878
BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek
TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheInternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de.
©2020WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/Boston
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Contents
WenceslaoJ.Gonzalez
NoveltyinScientificRealism:NewApproachestoanOngoingDebate 1
I NewFramework for theRealismandAnti-realism Debate
PeterAchinstein
ScientificRealism:What’sAlltheFuss? 27
AlexanderBird
ScientificRealismandThreeProblemsforInferencetotheBest
Explanation 48
HowardSankey
ScientificRealismandtheConflictwithCommonSense 68
II Approachesbased onHistory andScientificRealism
AnastasiosBrenner
EvolvingRealities:ScientificPredictionandObjectivityfromthe
PerspectiveofHistoricalEpistemology 87
ThomasNickles
DoCognitiveIllusionsMakeScientificRealismDeceptively
Attractive? 104
III LogicalApproaches inRealistTerms
AlanMusgrave
AgainstParaconsistentism 133
TheoA.F.Kuipers
StratifiedNomicRealism 145
VI Contents
IV Logico-EpistemologicalStructuralRealismand
InstrumentalRealism
JohnWorrall
StructuralRealism:TheOnlyDefensibleRealistGameinTown? 169
LadislavKvasz
MathematicalLanguageandtheChangingConceptofPhysical
Reality 206
V NewDevelopmentson CriticalScientificRealismand
PragmaticRealism
IlkkaNiiniluoto
InterdisciplinarityfromthePerspectiveofCriticalScientificRealism 231
WenceslaoJ.Gonzalez
PragmaticRealismandScientificPrediction:TheRoleofComplexity 251
VI RealismonCausality andRepresentation
DonaldGillies
RealismandAIM(Action,Intervention,Manipulation)Theoriesof
Causality 291
TomaszPlacek
IsPhysicsBiasedAgainstAlternativePossibilities? 305
VII Realist AccountsonObjectivityandFacts
AmandaGuillan
RealisticComponentsintheConceptionofPragmaticIdealism:TheRole
ofObjectivityandtheNotionof“Fact” 331
AnthonyO’Hear
“HeardEnoughfromtheExperts”?APopperianEnquiry 348
Contents VII
MattiSintonen
RealisminArchaeology–APhilosophicalPerspective 365
VIII RealismandtheSocialWorld:FromSocialSciences
totheSciences oftheArtificial
AdrianMiroiu
AStructuralRealistApproachtoInternationalRelationsTheory 391
MariaJoseArrojo
ObjectivityandTruthinSciencesofCommunicationandtheCaseofthe
Internet 415
IndexofNames 437
SubjectIndex 447

Wenceslao J.Gonzalez
Novelty in Scientific Realism: New
Approaches to an Ongoing Debate
Abstract: Scientific realism plays a central role in the philosophico-methodo-
logical discussions on research. Two are the main directions in the contribu-
tions made to scientific realism: the “internal” line and the “external” path.
Followingthefirstline,therearenewvisionsofrealismfocusedoncentralas-
pectsofscience:semantic,logic,epistemological,methodological,ontological,
axiological, and ethical components. When the route follows the second path,
realisminscienceisseenasinterrelatedwithrealismintechnologyandascon-
nectedtoaphilosophicalapproachtosociety.Altogetherthereisnowapleth-
ora of characterizations of scientific realism, and this paper presents the main
contemporaryversionsofscientificrealism.Theanalysisofthecentraltenetsof
the recent views on scientific realism contributes to present this book, which
offersnoveltytotheongoingdebateonscientificrealism.
Keywords:Novelty,scientific,realism,newapproaches,ongoingdebate
1 Two Main Directions in Contributions
to Scientific Realism
Scientific realism is at the core of contemporary philosophical debate on sci-
ence. This has been the case since Bas van Fraassen published his book The
Scientific Image in 1980. He has developed a new approach to representation
and models in science, which is an alternative to scientific realism or even an
antagonistpositiontorealisminscience(vanFraassen2008).Hisviewsonsci-
entificrepresentationofferednewideasonhowitshouldbecharacterized,and
his conception of models showed a novelty that goes beyond other empiricist
approachesofrecenttimes.Bothaspects–thecharacterizationofscientificre-
presentation and the conception of models in science – belong to a deliberate
attempt to forge a “structural empiricism,” an alternative to structural realism
basedonanelaboratedversionofempiricism(Gonzalez2014).
Note:IamgratefultoJohnWorrallforhisremarksonapreviousversionofthispaper,whichI
prepared at the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences (London School of
Economics).
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110664737-001
2 WenceslaoJ.Gonzalez
This criticism of scientific realism started a new debate in philosophy and
methodologyofscience,whichisstillgoingonandwhichpresentsmanyfaces.
Moreover, this renewed interest in scientific realism has enlarged the field,
whichincludesthedevelopmentofnewapproachesinrecentdecadesandthe
discussion of novel topics. In addition, there is an analysis of more sciences
thanbefore(e.g.,inthesphereofthesciencesoftheartificial).Thus,thereare
novelphilosophicalconceptionsofrealisminsciencethatgobeyondthetradi-
tional boundaries (mainly views on objectivity, truth, and entities) and into
new territories of discussion.1 These new approaches can be associated with
twomaindirections:“internal”and“external.”
1.1 The “Internal”Line andthe“External”Path
Followingthe“internal”line,whichremainsdominantinthefield,therearenew
visions of realism focused on central aspects of science, such as semantic, logic,
epistemological, methodological, ontological, axiological, and ethical compo-
nents, which can receive different interpretations within a realist framework.
These aspects have led to philosophical discussions beyond the traditional em-
phasisontheoreticalterms,thesearchfortruth2(ascorrespondence)andthesta-
tus of entities (especially theoretical entities).3 There is also more interest in
scientific practice. In this regard, it is generally assumed that science involves a
vision of the world as well as values that have influence on scientific practice.
Thesevaluescanbecognitive,ethical,social,economic,etc.(Gonzalez2013a).
Onthe“external”path,meanwhile,thereliesevenmorenovelty,becausere-
alism in science is seen as interrelated with realism in technology (mainly as
knowledge,endeavor,andproduct)andasconnectedtoaphilosophicalapproach
tosociety.Thisorientationispossibleinsofarasscienceisseenasahumanactiv-
ity–anundertakingthatincludesethicalvalues–ratherthanasamerebodyof
claims (see, e.g., Shrader-Frechette 2005). Thus, this human activity appears as
1 Thepresentanalysisupdatesandenlargestheapproachesofthethematicstudymadeon
scientificrealisminGonzalez(2006,pp.1–28;especially,pp.11–16).Thisstudyalsopresup-
posestheexaminationofthemainversionsofcontemporaryrealismmadeinGonzalez(1993).
Bothpapersincludeawidebibliographicalinformationonscientificrealism.
2 Itiscommonplacetomaintainthat“attheheartofanyscientificrealistpositionisasuc-
cess-to-truthinference,”Vickers(2019,p.571).Herewewillseethatthewholethingismore
complexthanthiswell-knownview.
3 The characterization of “scientific realism” by Richard Boyd is clearly insufficient to em-
bracethediversityofelementsinvolvedinit.SeeBoyd(1983,pp.45–90;especially,p.45).See
alsoPutnam(1982b).