Exceeding Our Grasp (Hardcover)

P. Kyle Stanford

ISBN 10: 0195174089 / ISBN 13: 9780195174083

Verlag: Oxford University Press Inc, New York, 2006

Beschreibung

Hardcover. The incredible achievements of modern scientific theories lead most of us to embrace scientific realism: the view that our best theories offer us at least roughly accurate descriptions of otherwise inaccessible parts of the world like genes, atoms, and the big bang. In Exceeding Our Grasp, Stanford argues that careful attention to the history of scientific investigation invites a challenge to this view that is not well represented in contemporary debatesabout the nature of the scientific enterprise. The historical record of scientific inquiry, Stanford suggests, is characterized by what he calls the problem of unconceived alternatives. Pastscientists have routinely failed even to conceive of alternatives to their own theories and lines of theoretical investigation, alternatives that were both well-confirmed by the evidence available at the time and sufficiently serious as to be ultimately accepted by later scientific communities. Stanford supports this claim with a detailed investigation of the mid-to-late 19th century theories of inheritance and generation proposed in turn by Charles Darwin, Francis Galton, and August Weismann.He goes on to argue that this historical pattern strongly suggests that there are equally well-confirmed and scientifically serious alternatives to our own best theories that remain currentlyunconceived. Moreover, this challenge is more serious than those rooted in either the so-called pessimistic induction or the underdetermination of theories by evidence, in part because existing realist responses to these latter challenges offer no relief from the problem of unconceived alternatives itself. Stanford concludes by investigating what positive account of the spectacularly successful edifice of modern theoretical science remains open to us if we accept that our bestscientific theories are powerful conceptual tools for accomplishing our practical goals, but abandon the view that the descriptions of the world around us that they offer are therefore even probably orapproximately true. History reveals our routine failure to even conceive of well-confirmed alternatives to our scientific theories, Stanford argues, and similar alternatives to our own theories likely remain presently unconceived. Stanford shows why existing defences of scientific realism cannot evade the problem and propose an alternative positive image of the scientific enterprise. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 9780195174083

Bibliografische Details

Titel: Exceeding Our Grasp (Hardcover)

Verlag: Oxford University Press Inc, New York

Erscheinungsdatum: 2006

Einband: Hardcover

Zustand: new

Über diesen Titel

Inhaltsangabe:

History reveals our routine failure to conceive of well-confirmed alternatives to our scientific theories. Stanford shows why existing defenses of scientific realism cannot evade the problem and proposes an alternative positive image of the scientific enterprise.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor:

P. Kyle Stanford is an Associate Professor in the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1997 from the Department of Philosophy and the Science Studies Program at the University of California, San Diego. His articles on the history and philosophy of science have appeared in The Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and elsewhere. This is his first book.