Critical scientific realism / Ilkka Niiniluoto.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Niiniluoto, Ilkka.

Series:

Clarendon library of logic and philosophy.

Clarendon library of logic and philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Realism.

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Physical Description:

xiv, 341 p. : ill.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.

Summary:

Ilkka Niiniluoto comes to the rescue of realism in the philosophy of science. Philosophical realism holds that the aim of a particular discourse is to make true statements about its subject-matter. Niiniluoto surveys different kinds of realism in various areas of philosophy, then sets out his own critical realist philosophy of science, characterizing scientific progress in terms of increasing truthlikeness, and defends this theory against its rivals.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

1. The Varieties of Realism

1.1 The problems of realism

1.2 Science and other belief systems

1.3 Critical scientific realism and its rivals

1.4 Realism and the method of philosophy

2. Realism in Ontology

2.1 Materialism, dualism, and idealism

2.2 Popper's three worlds

2.3 Existence, mind-independence, and reality

2.4 The world and its furniture

2.5 Arguments for ontological realism

3. Realism in Semantics

3.1 Language as representation

3.2 Logical, analytic, and factual truth

3.3 How semantics is effable: model theory

3.4 Truth as correspondence: Tarski's definition

3.5 Truthlikeness

4. Realism in Epistemology

4.1 Certainty, scepticism, and fallibilism

4.2 Knowledge of the external world

4.3 Kant's 'Copernican revolution'

4.4 Critical epistemological realism

4.5 Epistemic probability and verisimilitude

4.6 Epistemic theories of truth

5. Realism in Theory Construction

5.1 Descriptivism, instrumentalism, and realism

5.2 Meaning variance, reference, and theoretical terms

5.3 Laws, truthlikeness, and idealization

5.4 Examples of the realism debate

6. Realism in Methodology

6.1 Measuring the success of science

6.2 Axiology and methodological rules

6.3 Theory-choice, underdetermination, and simplicity

6.4 From empirical success to truthlikeness

6.5 Explaining the success of science

6.6 Rationality and progress in science

7. Internal Realism

7.1 Ways of worldmaking

7.2 Putnam on internal realism

7.3 World-versions and identified objects

8. Relativism

8.1 Varieties of relativism

8.2 Moral relativism

8.3 Cognitive relativism

8.4 Feminist philosophy of science

9. Social Constructivism

9.1 The Edinburgh programme: strong or wrong?

9.2 Finitism

9.3 Life in laboratory.

10. Realism, Science, and Society

10.1 Social reasons for realism and anti-realism

10.2 Science as a cultural value

10.3 Science in a free society

References

Index of Names

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Z

Index of Subjects

W.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0191519405

9780191519406

OCLC:

309337095