Philosophy of Science · Reality of Theoretical Entities

Scientific Realism

Mature scientific theories describe unobservable reality approximately truly.

What it claims

Scientific realism is the conjunction of three theses. Metaphysically, a world independent of theory exists. Semantically, theories are to be interpreted literally as true or false.

Nearby positions

Goes together with

Falsificationism Bayesianism

Opposed to

Instrumentalism / Constructive Empiricism Kuhnian Paradigm Theory

Key thinkers

Hilary Putnam · Richard Boyd · Stathis Psillos · Ian Hacking · J. J. C. Smart