2005/12/01 by Juha T. Saatsi, Juha Saatsi
Arts and Humanities · Physics and Astronomy · #Philosophy and History of Science #Quantum Mechanics and Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/508959
The Pessimistic Induction from falsity of past theories forms a perennial argument against scientific realism. This paper considers and rebuts two recent arguments—due to Lewis (2001) and Lange (2002)—to the conclusion that the Pessimistic Induction (in its best known form) is fallacious. It re-establishes the dignity of the Pessimistic Induction by calling to mind the basic objective of the argument, and hence restores the propriety of the realist program of responding to PMI by undermining one or another of its premises.