HPS100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Scientific Realism, Instrumentalism

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

Document Summary

The history of science knows many episodes where a theory that had been accepted for centuries was eventually rejected and replaced by a new theory. Do our theories describe things as they actually are independent of our experience or do they only describe things as they appear to us. If you say yes that our theories actually describe the nature of the world out there, not merely our sensations/experience . Ou(cid:396) (cid:271)est s(cid:272)ie(cid:374)tifi(cid:272) theo(cid:396)ies (cid:272)o(cid:396)(cid:396)e(cid:272)tl(cid:455) des(cid:272)(cid:396)i(cid:271)e the (cid:374)atu(cid:396)e of the (cid:373)i(cid:374)d-i(cid:374)depe(cid:374)de(cid:374)t (cid:449)o(cid:396)ld. Thus, we can both use theories in practical applications and accept them as best available descriptions of the external world. We do (cid:374)ot k(cid:374)o(cid:449) (cid:449)hethe(cid:396) ou(cid:396) theo(cid:396)ies (cid:272)o(cid:396)(cid:396)e(cid:272)tl(cid:455) des(cid:272)(cid:396)i(cid:271)e the (cid:374)atu(cid:396)e of the (cid:373)i(cid:374)d-i(cid:374)depe(cid:374)de(cid:374)t (cid:449)o(cid:396)ld. The(cid:455) do (cid:374)ot sa(cid:455) that (cid:449)e fail to des(cid:272)(cid:396)i(cid:271)e the (cid:374)atu(cid:396)e. des(cid:272)(cid:396)i(cid:271)e e(cid:454)pe(cid:396)ie(cid:374)(cid:272)es, (cid:271)ut fo(cid:396) the e(cid:454)te(cid:396)(cid:374)al (cid:449)o(cid:396)ld (cid:449)e just do(cid:374)"t k(cid:374)o(cid:449). Thus, (cid:449)e should(cid:374)"t accept theo(cid:396)ies, (cid:271)ut should o(cid:374)l(cid:455) use the(cid:373) i(cid:374) p(cid:396)a(cid:272)ti(cid:272)al appli(cid:272)atio(cid:374)s, fo(cid:396) theo(cid:396)ies a(cid:396)e (cid:374)othi(cid:374)g (cid:373)o(cid:396)e tha(cid:374) useful tools.