The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)

Scientific realism is a central, long-standing, and hotly debated topic in philosophy of science. Debates about scientific realism concern the very nature and extent of scientific knowledge and progress. Scientific realists defend a positive epistemic attitude towards our best theories and models regarding how they represent the world that is unobservable to our naked senses. Various realist theses are under sceptical fire from scientific antirealists, e.g. empiricists and instrumentalists. The different dimensions of the ensuing debate centrally connect to numerous other topics in philosophy of science and beyond. __The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism__ is an outstanding reference source – the first collection of its kind – to the key issues, positions, and arguments in this important topic. Its thirty-four chapters, written by a team of international experts, are divided into five parts: * Historical development of the realist stance * Classic debate: core issues and positions * Perspectives on contemporary debates * The realism debate in disciplinary context * Broader reflections In these sections, the core issues and debates presented, analysed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central issues covered include motivations and arguments for realism; challenges to realism from underdetermination and history of science; different variants of realism; the connection of realism to relativism and perspectivism; and the relationship between realism, metaphysics, and epistemology. __The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism__ is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science. It will also be very useful for anyone interested in the nature and extent of scientific knowledge. Scientific Realism is one of the most fundamental notions in the philosophy of science and is emerging as a major topic across academic disciplines. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems and debates in this exciting subject and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising over thirty-five chapters by a team of international contributors the Handbook is divided into five parts: Historical development of the realist stance ; Classic debate: core issues and positions ; Perspectives on contemporary debates ; The realism debate in disciplinary contextBroader reflections. Within these sections central issues, debates and problems are examined, questions covered include: what is scientific realism? How has the scientific realism debate evolved since the heyday of logical empiricism? What are the arguments for and against scientific realism? What is the relevance of the notion of perspective and pluralism on realism? What are the issues of realism in the context of scientific modelling? What is the relevance of the social dimension of knowledge? What discipline specific issues are there with scientific realism? The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science Comprising over thirty chapters by a team of international contributors the The Routledge handbook of Scientific Realism covers the following central topics: the historical development of the realist stance; core issues and positions of classic debate; perspectives on contemporary debates and the realism debate in disciplinary context.