Full metadata
Title
Cornering the truth: a defense of scientific realism
Description
This is a study of scientific realism, and of the extent to which it is undermined by objections that have been raised by advocates of various forms of antirealism. I seek to develop and present a version of scientific realism that improves on past formulations, and then to show that standard antirealist arguments against it do not succeed. In this paper, I will first present my formulation of scientific realism, which conceives of theories as model-based and as fundamentally non-linguistic. I advocate an epistemic position that accords with indirect realism, and I review and assess the threat posed by theses of underdetermination. Next, I review and discuss three important views: the antirealist constructivist view of Thomas Kuhn, the realist view of Norwood Hanson, and the antirealist constructive empiricist view of Bas van Fraassen. I find merits and flaws in all three views. In the course of those discussions, I develop the theme that antirealists' arguments generally depend on assumptions that are open to question, especially from the perspective of the version of realism I advocate. I further argue that these antirealist views are undermined by their own tacit appeals to realism.
Date Created
2013
Contributors
- Novack, Alexander Dion (Author)
- Armendt, Brad (Thesis advisor)
- Creath, Richard (Committee member)
- French, Peter (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
vi, 175 p. : ill
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.17951
Statement of Responsibility
by Alexander Dion Novack
Description Source
Viewed on July 28, 2014
Level of coding
full
Note
Partial requirement for: Ph. D., Arizona State University, 2013
Note type
thesis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-175)
Note type
bibliography
Field of study: Philosophy
System Created
- 2013-07-12 06:24:55
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:41:26
- 2 years 7 months ago
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