HPS100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Pseudoscience, Center For American Progress, Fallibilism

• School: UTSG
• Department: History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
• Course: HPS100H1
• Professor: Hakob Barseghyan

Document Summary

Yes -> scientific realism: our best scientific theories correctly describe the nature of the mind- independent world. Thus, we can both use theories in practical applications and accept them as best available descriptions of the external world. No -> scientific anti-realism (instrumentalism): we do not know whether our correctly describe the nature of the mind-independent world. Note this does not say our theories fail to describe the nature of the mind-independent world. Thus, (cid:449)e shouldn"t a(cid:272)(cid:272)ept theories, but should only use them in practical applications, for theories are nothing more than useful tools. It does(cid:374)"t say (cid:449)e ca(cid:374)"t k(cid:374)o(cid:449) (cid:894)at so(cid:373)e ti(cid:373)e(cid:895), (cid:449)e do(cid:374)"t k(cid:374)o(cid:449) curre(cid:374)tly. Scientific realism, nowadays, comes in two basic flavours: Structural realism: although our theories about the natures of the unobservable entities can be false, our knowledge of the relations between them is true. Entity realism: our knowledge about unobservable entities is true, although our theories concerning relations between those entities can be false.