A Confutation of Convergent Realism

1981/03/01 by Larry Laudan · 1,550 citations
Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · Psychology · #Argument (complex analysis) #Chemistry #Computer science #Critical realism (philosophy of perception) #Epistemology #Evolution and Science Education #Extant taxon #Key (lock) #Miracle #Naturalism #Philosophical realism #Philosophy #Philosophy and History of Science #Philosophy and Theoretical Science #Philosophy of science #Realism #Scientific realism #Scientific theory #Sociology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/288975

published in Philosophy of Science 48(1), 19-49 (Cambridge University Press)

openalex publication_date 1981/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

This essay contains a partial exploration of some key concepts associated with the epistemology of realist philosophies of science. It shows that neither reference nor approximate truth will do the explanatory jobs that realists expect of them. Equally, several widely-held realist theses about the nature of inter-theoretic relations and scientific progress are scrutinized and found wanting. Finally, it is argued that the history of science, far from confirming scientific realism, decisively confutes several extant versions of avowedly ‘naturalistic’ forms of scientific realism. The positive argument for realism is that it is the only philosophy that doesn't make the success of science a miracle. -H. Putnam (1975)

Citations

• The Logic of Scientific Discovery

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