Resisting Scientific Realism

by K. Brad Wray

In this book K. Brad Wray provides a comprehensive survey of the arguments against scientific realism. In addition to presenting logical considerations that undermine the realists' inferences to the likely truth or approximate truth of our theories, he provides a thorough assessment of the evidence from the history of science. He also examines grounds for a defence of anti-realism, including an anti-realist explanation for the success of our current theories, an account of why false theories can be empirically successful, and an explanation for why we should expect radical changes of theory in the future. His arguments are supported and illustrated by cases from the history of science, including a sustained study of the Copernican Revolution, and a study of the revolution in early twentieth century chemistry, when chemists came to classify elements by their atomic number rather than by their atomic weight.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction

238 pages, Paperback

Published March 26, 2020

Reviews

[Farshad Niri]

I’ve always wanted to read about scientific realism and antirealism, and this book was right to the point. It compiles all the arguments presented by realists and antirealists and analyzes them one by one. While the author leans toward antirealism, he does a great job of staying fair and neutral.

The structure of the book is clear and well-organized, which makes it both pleasant to read and easy to understand.

[Christopher]

One of the best presentations of anti-realism that I have seen. The section on the History of the Periodic Table is particularly fascinating!

[Gabe G.]

Everyone should read this book!