About This Special Issue
Scientific Realism is one of the most important debates in the last decades of the Philosophy of Science.
Should we believe that science walks toward the truth? How can we believe in the existence of entities that we cannot directly empirically observe? Are our scientific theories the best explanations available? What are the criteria for theory choice?
These discussions about the value of scientific theories, the ontological existence of unobservable entities, and scientific practice have led many philosophers to create sophisticated arguments to defend their positions. But what does the History of Science have to teach us about these philosophical questions? This is an important point for philosophers and historians of science to think about.
Keywords:
- Scientific Realism
- Scientific Anti-realism
- Instrumentalism
- Entity realism
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Criteria for theory-choice