HPS250H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Scientific Realism, Fallibilism, Net Force
17 Apr 2016
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Do our best theories describe things as they actually are, or just as they appear to us: scieniic realist. Our best scieniic theories do describe the world as it is. Clear cut disincion between using theories in pracice, and acceping theories as the best available descripion of the external world. Enity realism - knowledge about unobservable eniies is true, although our theories concerning relaions o: scieniic anirealist (instrumentalism) The best of our scieniic theories achieve to give us the knowledge about the world that we know (world of phenomena) Shouldn"t accept theories but should only use them in pracical applicaions for theories are nothing more than useful tools. Called instrumentalism as it says that theories are good instruments, but are not proper explanaions of the world as it actually is. But our knowledge about certain relaions is true. Theories might be rejected, but the equaions connecing the material objects will be preserved.
