Structural realism and theory classification
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20143357 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fernando Benitez (0000-0001-7978-970X, University of Bern Bern Switzerland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 734-747 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Theoria (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0040-5825 • E-ISSN: 1755-2567 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/theo.12491 |
| OpenAlex | W4386741401 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
Ontic structural realism constitutes a promising take on scientific realism, one that avoids the well‐known issues that realist stances have with underdetermination and theory change. In its most radical versions, ontic structural realism proposes a type of eliminativism about theoretical entities, ascribing ontological commitment only to the structures, and not to the objects appearing in our theories. More moderate versions of ontic structural realism have also been proposed, allowing for ‘thin’ objects in the ontology. This work connects these takes on structural realism with the independent notion that there are two categorically different kinds of scientific theories, namely those that deal with interactions and those that deal with structural constraints – what are known as interaction and framework theories, respectively. By taking this classification seriously, one can arrive at a selective version of ontic structural realism which is better adapted to our scientific knowledge, in which eliminativist ontic structural realism constitutes a natural fit to framework theories, whereas the moderate version is connected to interaction theories
Critical realism (philosophy of perception) · Epistemology · Ontic · Ontology · Philosophy of science · Realism · Scientific realism · Scientific theory · Underdetermination · Computer Science · Origins and Evolution of Life · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Quantum Mechanics and Applications
The Structure of the World
Because Without Cause
A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism
The New Mechanical Philosophy
Real Patterns
Structural Realism
The Metaphysics Within Physics
Every Thing Must Go
Laws and meta-laws of nature
Explanation
Particles, fields, and the ontology of the standard model
Mechanisms meet structural explanation
How scientific models can explain
Structural Realism, again
Moderate structural realism about space-time
What is structural realism
The Concept of Observation in Science and Philosophy
Thinking about Mechanisms
Rethinking Mechanistic Explanation
Scientific Explanation between Principle and Constructive Theories
The Ontology of Bohmian Mechanics
Presentism and Relativity
Ontic Structural Realism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |