A Critical Introduction to Scientific Realism (Bloomsbury Critical Introductions to Contemporary Epistemology)

T his book began life in the sunny eastern suburbs of Sydney and was completed under three feet of snow in a remote corner of upstate New York. There are various theories relating the effects of the weather on one's philosophical disposition -that rain and mist encourages scepticism, and that the more speculative metaphysical fauna grow best in warmer climates -and I have endeavoured to write the various sections of this book under their most agreeable conditions. In the end however, I fear that the New York winter prevailed. I would like to thank Stephen Hetherington for suggesting this project to me, and Michaelis Michael for listening to me complain about it. I didn't always agree with everything Michaelis had to say about philosophy, but I defer to him completely on the far more important topics of test match statistics and where to get the best coffee in Sydney. Some of the issues in this book are the result of lengthy -and ongoing -conversations with other philosophers of science. I'd like to thank Juha Saatsi who has done a lot to make me think about base rates, and Stathis Psillos, whose influence on my work as a whole has been considerable. I would also like to thank audiences at the University of the New South Wales and Sydney University for all of their valuable feedback, and an anonymous referee for wading through some truly horrific typos and errors. In the southern hemisphere, I would like to thank Maddy and Ian Gulliver for their extraordinary hospitality. I would also like to thank Debra Aarons, Mengistu Amberber, Belinda Jones, Matthew Mison and Peter Slezak for keeping me relatively sane on a weekly basis. I would also like to extend a special acknowledgement to James Squire and Dan Murphy for all of their sterling work. In the northern hemisphere, I would like to thank Mary-Ellen Campbell for providing such a great place to work, and David Carlson and Tim Smith for their warm welcome to the area. Thanks also to "What are the reasons for believing scientific theories to be true? The contemporary debate around scientific realism exposes questions about the very nature of scientific knowledge. A Critical Introduction to Scientific Realism explores and advances the main topics of the debate, allowing epistemologists to make new connections with the philosophy of science. Moving from its origins in logical positivism to some of the most recent issues discussed in the literature, this critical introduction covers the no-miracles argument, the pessimistic meta-induction and structural realism. Placing arguments in their historical context, Paul Dicken approaches scientific realism debate as a particular instance of our more general epistemological investigations. The recurrent theme is that the scientific realism debate is in fact a pseudo-philosophical question. Concerned with the methodology of the scientific realism debate, Dicken asks what it means to offer an epistemological assessment of our scientific practices. Taking those practices as a guide to our epistemological reflections, A Critical Introduction to Scientific Realism fills a gap in current introductory texts and presents a fresh approach to understanding a crucial debate."--Bloomsbury Publishing. "What are the reasons for believing scientific theories to be true? The contemporary debate around scientific realism exposes questions about the very nature of scientific knowledge. A Critical Introduction to Scientific Realism explores and advances the main topics of the debate, allowing epistemologists to make new connections with the philosophy of science.Moving from its origins in logical positivism to some of the most recent issues discussed in the literature, this critical introduction covers the no-miracles argument, the pessimistic meta-induction and structural realism. Placing arguments in their historical context, Paul Dicken approaches scientific realism debate as a particular instance of our more general epistemological investigations. The recurrent theme is that the scientific realism debate is in fact a pseudo-philosophical question.Concerned with the methodology of the scientific realism debate, Dicken asks what it means to offer an epistemological assessment of our scientific practices. Taking those practices as a guide to our epistemological reflections, A Critical Introduction to Scientific Realism fills a gap in current introductory texts and presents a fresh approach to understanding a crucial debate."--Page 4 de la couverture The First Comprehensive Introduction To The Contemporary Scientific Realism Debate, Exploring The Extent To Which We Are Justified In Believing Our Scientific Theories To Be True.