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Antirealism Vs Realism Research Paper

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1- Introduction The realism versus antirealism debate is one that is related in some way to almost every branch of philosophy of science (Chakravartty, 2016). It has often been the case that astronomy has been the source wider questions regarding realism in science more generally. In the following I will agree, with Hacking, that we often have reason to hold realism even about unobserved and perhaps unobservable entities in science. I will then argue that the fact that, before the telescope, in astronomy one could only observe, in the strictest sense, this gave astronomers reason to be antirealist in cases of underdetermination. However, I will then argue, against Hacking that we have other reasons to hold an antirealist point of view of modern astronomy. I will advocate the idea that the antirealist position has become less compelling due to advancements in astronomy. This has meant that the realist has greater tools at her disposal with which to counter the antirealist and hence underdetermination is no longer such an issue. I will do this by opposing the points raised in the reasonably modern antirealist position presented by Hacking in his paper Extragalactic Reality which discusses experimenting, intervening, scientific models and the specific example of gravitational lenses. 2- What is Scientific Antirealism? It first may be helpful to give a more precise explanation of what scientific …show more content…

Though during this era instruments played a part, astronomy was centred on naked eye observations (Wynn-Williams, 2016, pp.7-19). That is prior to this most of observation possible was the observation permitted by the positivist. This restriction to observation can in be seen to be the motivator of an antirealist position which, attacks the second of the realist

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