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An Epistemic Foundation for Scientific Realism

Part of the Synthese Library Book Series (volume 402)

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-02218-1

ISBN: 978-3-030-02217-4

Publisher: Springer International Publishing - Springer Journals

Nov 3, 2018

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Introduction: Realism and Reason

Wright, John

Pages: 1 –6

[Scientific Realism with respect to a theory is, at least as a first approximation, the doctrine that the entities – including the unobservable entities – postulated by the theory exist and behave (more or less) as the theory says they do. It is an ontological or, perhaps, metaphysical thesis. A...
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The Skeptical Arguments Against Realism I: Inductive Skepticism

Wright, John

Pages: 7 –36

[Our aim is to show how we can have good reasons for claims about the unobservable, theoretical claims made by science. But: there are objections to the thesis that we can have such reasons. The aim of the early chapters of this book is to critically evaluate those objections. In this chapter we...
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The Skeptical Arguments – 2

Wright, John

Pages: 37 –77

[In this chapter we continue the task of defending Scientific Realism against threats and challenges. In particular, in this chapter we consider:]
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Realism and Inference to the Best Explanation

Wright, John

Pages: 79 –115

[The overall aim of this book is to develop an account of the nature of the reasons for scientific realism. So far, our aims have been negative or defensive: they have been to show that the (sceptical) arguments against the rationality of realism are (mostly) flawed. In this chapter we begin task...
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On the Inference to Unobservables

Wright, John

Pages: 117 –143

[The aim of this chapter is to explore and defend a route to realism about unobservable entities that does not use inference to the best explanation.]
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Underdetermination and Theory Preference

Wright, John

Pages: 145 –165

[Let us begin by reviewing the main results of the previous chapter. It was argued that, provided certain conditions are met, we can construct a purely probabilistic inference to some scientific realist claims. To recap, it was argued that we are justified in adopting realism with respect to some...
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Eddington Inferences in Science – 1: Atoms and Molecules

Wright, John

Pages: 167 –190

[Let us begin by reviewing our main results to this point. In Chap. 2 it was argued that it is possible to give a probabilistic justification of induction. In Chap. 5 it was argued that a probabilistic argument, resembling an inductive argument, can also be given for the reality of some...
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Eddington Inferences in Science – 2: The Size and Shape of the Universe

Wright, John

Pages: 191 –215

[In the previous chapter we concerned ourselves with examples of “inward” Eddington inferences in science, that is, with inferences to claims about entities smaller than those we are capable of observing. But, of course, Eddington inferences can also take us “outwards”, to claims about states of...

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