Author Description

Counter Scientific Realism Is The Optimistic View That Modern Science Is On The Right Track: That The World Really Is The Way Our Best Scientific Theories Describe It To Be. In His Book, Stathis Psillos Gives Us A Detailed And Comprehensive Study, Which Restores The Intuitive Plausibility Of Scientific Realism. We See That Throughout The Twentieth Century, Scientific Realism Has Been Challenged By Philosophical Positions From All Angles: From Reductive Empiricism, To Instrumentalism And Modern Skeptical Empiricism. Scientific Realism Explains That The History Of Science Does Not Undermine The Notion Of Scientific Realism, And Instead Makes It Reasonable To Accept Scientific As The Best Philosophical Account Of Science, Its Empirical Success, Its Progress And Its Practice. Anyone Wishing To Gain A Deeper Understanding Of The State Of Modern Science And Why Scientific Realism Is Plausible, Should Read This Book. Part I. Empiricism And The Realist Turn. Empiricism And Theoretical Discourse -- Theories As Instruments -- Carnap's Neutralism -- In Defence Of Scientific Realism. Part Ii. Sceptical Challenges. Resisting The Pessimistic Induction -- Historical Illustrations -- Worrall's Structural Realism -- Underdetermination Undermined. Part Iii. Recent Alternatives To Realism. Constructive Empiricism Scrutinised -- Noa, Cognitive Perfection And Entity Realism. Part Iv. Refilling The Realist Toolbox. Truth-likeness -- Reference Of Theoretical Terms. Stathis Psillos. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 315-330) And Index.