science philosophy views of Realism and Anti-realism
The Spotlight On
own making - independent of human perception and thought - and that
scientific theories are true if they faithfully correspond in some way
to these things. Indeed, one of the strongest lines of reasoning for
realism, termed the miracle argument, is that - as the philosopher
Hilary Putnam once put it - "realism is the only philosophy that
doesn't make the success of science a miracle".
Phenomenal Realism: Real things or order as human beings perceive it
are incorporated into the fabric of human experience. The view that
what things are like, apart from that experience, is unknowable.
Noumenal Realism: Knowledge about structures that underlie the fabric
of human experience - i.e. nature's order - is possible. These
structures may be material (Democritean) or abstract and formal
(Platonic), such as (in this view) electrons and protons. What is truly
real - for noumenal realists - are particles and forces, say, rather
than sticks and stones. In this view, what human beings experience is
not of reality as such, but rather the means and clues by which we can
know underlying, fundamental structures that are not given in
experience.
Critical realism: A term that covers several different perspectives,
combining aspects of phenomenal and noumenal realism. What these
perspectives share in general is the view that what we directly
perceive and know is not the real object itself - an electron, say -
but rather a sign or datum by which we can infer the existence and
properties of the object. These inferences, however, may often fail to
capture the object's details and even its essence.
- - - - - -
[Different kinds of antirealism]
Empiricists are antirealists who argue that the purpose of scientific
theories is not to correspond with some basic structure of the world,
but to organize data.
Constructivists stress the extent to which concepts and theories are
socially constructed - much like the rules of a game - rather than
discovered in nature.
Operationalists say that reality can be attributed only to observable
elements by virtue of operations that can be performed on them.
Instrumentalists hold that concepts and theories are tools to be
evaluated for their usefulness rather than truth value.
- - - - - -
The most significant challenge to realist positions is to account for
non-trivial theory change. The biggest challenge for antirealist
positions is to explain the stunning success of science, why some
theories are so hard to change or abandon, and why we have such little
control over which theories seem right.
- - - - - -
[Alternative: hermeneutical realisms]
Hermeneutical realists think that existing forms of realism and
antirealism start off on the wrong foot by presenting us with a
dualistic series of forced options. Either theories (inside us)
represent things in the world (outside in nature) or they do not.
Either we (inside) have direct access to something independent of us
(outside), or we do not. Either theories are successful because they
contact the real world (over there) or because they order the data (in
here).
Hermeneutical realists do not think that we are faced with those
choices. They see the real as the relationship between ourselves and
our surroundings, not as a subset of the things that we find in those
surroundings. In other words, hermeneutical thinkers do not begin with
isolated knowers and knowns.
Instead, they say that it is impossible, in that relationship, for us
to peel away theorizing and what there is from each other. They then
examine the practical judgements involved in that relationship.
Hermeneutical thinkers insist that to perceive something as real -
rather than illusion or error - does not merely involve data taking.
Hermeneutical realism is not a constructivism because the objects that
we perceive to be real exhibit invariances that are not under our
control. Yet it accounts for non-trivial changes in the history of
science. In the hermeneutical perspective, scientific knowledge evolves
from - and at the same time transforms - historically inherited
practices and judgements. There is something unavoidable about this
insight; if it didn't happen, science would be impossible or trivial.
(phenomenal-realist style) or deciphering a clue that tells us
something about another, somehow more real world beyond what we
experience
(noumenal-realist style). Perception is neither an event in the head
nor code-cracking. Instead, we perceive something to be real - in
science as in everyday life - if we find it to behave in a predictable,
law-like way within a particular background context or horizon,
fulfilling (or not) our expectations.
source: Robert P. Crease
Bob
>Realism: The view that things in the world exist that are not of our
>own making - independent of human perception and thought - and that
>scientific theories are true if they faithfully correspond in some way
>to these things. Indeed, one of the strongest lines of reasoning for
>realism, termed the miracle argument, is that - as the philosopher
>Hilary Putnam once put it - "realism is the only philosophy that
>doesn't make the success of science a miracle".
>
>Phenomenal Realism: Real things or order as human beings perceive it
>are incorporated into the fabric of human experience. The view that
>what things are like, apart from that experience, is unknowable.
>
>Noumenal Realism: Knowledge about structures that underlie the fabric
>of human experience - i.e. nature's order - is possible. These
>structures may be material (Democritean) or abstract and formal
>(Platonic), such as (in this view) electrons and protons. What is truly
>real - for noumenal realists - are particles and forces, say, rather
>than sticks and stones. In this view, what human beings experience is
>not of reality as such, but rather the means and clues by which we can
>know underlying, fundamental structures that are not given in
>experience.
Where are you getting all this bullcrap?
Robert Cohen
I have tried to comprehend the original poster's explanations of the
nuances of realism.
Such is why I also will readily leave Plato to the Platonists and other
boring abstract complexities to boring academics whom thrive in
building complexities.
The way I treat reductions to absurdities is to go along with the
gaga/gags a la:
And so, vat is unreal realism?
10. A Stalinist era speech or painting of a not broken-down tractor in
the Ukraine's wheat belt while fat, happy peasants dance around the
maypole's abundant harvest.
9. What Salvador Dali doesn't paint as "surrealism."
8. Any valid novel containing Philip Roth's terrific fantasy
projections, such as President of U.S. Lindbergh's re-locating the Jews
to Kentucky--for shame, Phil Roth, because it couldn't happen here.
7. The Successful Benign Constitutional Republic of Iraq, though I hate
being so miserably pessimistic--read Frank Rich's call-yum last Sunday
6. The continuining empirical overwhelming goodness of humankind
5. The wisdom, brilliance & rationality of the U.S. law/criminal
justice system regarding the marijauna phenomenon--wow, and that Iraq
intervention in #7 is so great too
4. The non-materialism motivation of professional sports (NBA, NHL,
NFL, MLB)
3. The profound truthfulness and sincerity of radio-tv-internet
commercials and ads in general
2. The terrific term "facetious" for insight & understanding into a
CHARLEY BROWN cartoon, unlike Gary Trudeau's DOONESBURY schtick.
1. Robert Cohen's truly remarkable (in)sanity
Sir Frederick
Pragmatically it is there, but let's understand it, so we can
improve it. Besides, what if it broke, then we'd need to fix it.
In fact, we need to understand it so we can know how it may break.
What if I move this thingy here...?
...Wow! Did you see that? Everything kind of disappeared for a bit!
I guess everything is kind of temporary, even reality.
tooly
"Robert Cohen" <robt...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:1134585168.9...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
More realisms:
1-The total non-bias of our broadcast media.
2-How so non-political academia has become.
3-How philosophers, lawyers, and economists have brought so much hope to the
world
4-How philosophers are such happy people.
5-How scientific rationalism has taken a 'hands off' approach to human
socialization
6-How Christmas remains a time of remembrance of human compassion and warmth
at Walmart
7-How international Corporations have no interest in making industrial
middle classes into 'cheaper labor'
8-How those same Corporations continue moral allegiance to their home
nation-state countries of origin.
9-How China as a new consumer state, will be non-competitive for dwindling
resources, like oil.
10-How white women are such faithful, loving partners who would never ever
abandon your side
11-How tooly remains such a solid citizen who cares deeply about the world
due to #10
12-last but not least, how life remains so positive from all the above
Bob
Science is not temporary. The accomplishments of 4 millenia of science
has not changes one bit. The discovery by the Greeks that matter is
composed of particles and the Earth is roughly spherical are still
part of reality today.
Civilizations come and go, but science continues on.
Fluidly Unsure
> re: What Is Realism?
>
> I have tried to comprehend the original poster's explanations of the
> nuances of realism.
>
> Such is why I also will readily leave Plato to the Platonists and other
> boring abstract complexities to boring academics whom thrive in
> building complexities.
>
> The way I treat reductions to absurdities is to go along with the
> gaga/gags a la:
>
> And so, vat is unreal realism?
>
> 10. A Stalinist era speech or painting of a not broken-down tractor in
> the Ukraine's wheat belt while fat, happy peasants dance around the
> maypole's abundant harvest.
>
> 9. What Salvador Dali doesn't paint as "surrealism."
Remember, he was a founding member of Dada and thought reality didn't exist and
his "paranoic-critical" methods were reality. Please don't ask me what
"paranoic-critial" means. I only know that is the phrase Dali himself used to
describe his work.
>
> 8. Any valid novel containing Philip Roth's terrific fantasy
> projections, such as President of U.S. Lindbergh's re-locating the Jews
> to Kentucky--for shame, Phil Roth, because it couldn't happen here.
>
> 7. The Successful Benign Constitutional Republic of Iraq, though I hate
> being so miserably pessimistic--read Frank Rich's call-yum last Sunday
The Iraq people will soon give that view a single finger salute-- the purple finger.
> 6. The continuining empirical overwhelming goodness of humankind
It has always been that way and I don't see any evidence of it abiding or
stopping anytime soon.
> 5. The wisdom, brilliance & rationality of the U.S. law/criminal
> justice system regarding the marijauna phenomenon--wow, and that Iraq
> intervention in #7 is so great too
>
> 4. The non-materialism motivation of professional sports (NBA, NHL,
> NFL, MLB)
At least NSL hasn't been too contaminated, yet.
Watch the world cup coming in June and cheer the US underdogs.
> 3. The profound truthfulness and sincerity of radio-tv-internet
> commercials and ads in general
Or anyone who takes them or the Tooth-Fairy as truth.
>
> 2. The terrific term "facetious" for insight & understanding into a
> CHARLEY BROWN cartoon, unlike Gary Trudeau's DOONESBURY schtick.
No, it's Mallard Fillmore sayings that is truly "unlike" unrealisms.
>
> 1. Robert Cohen's truly remarkable (in)sanity
>
--
Liquid
Brian Fletcher
"Sir Frederick" <mmcn...@fuzzysys.com> wrote in message
news:nir0q119jbpa1d2ji...@4ax.com...
But "never" the observer , eh SirF....
BOfL