Can structural realism leave the comfort zone?
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24225770 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michele Pizzochero (0000-0003-3948-8202), Andrea Oldofredi (0000-0003-4379-8027) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 120 |
| Pages | 102228 |
| Publication date | 2026-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0039-3681 • E-ISSN: 1879-2510 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.shpsa.2026.102228 |
| PMID | 42874156 |
| OpenAlex | W7221783166 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This essay critically examines the recent interpretation of the transition from phlogiston theory to contemporary chemistry developed through the lens of structural realism. This interpretation seeks to establish a correspondence between phlogistication/dephlogistication and reduction/oxidation processes, lending support to the preservation of structures amidst theory change. Here, we argue against the tenability of such a structuralist view on several grounds. First, we identify an ambiguity inherent to the parallelism between dephlogistication and oxidation. Second, we cast doubt on the generality of the structural correspondence by showing its vulnerability to the specific formulation of phlogiston theory adopted. Third, we argue that the term 'phlogiston' can be better classified in the empirical vocabulary, instead of theoretical vocabulary, hence undermining the structural correspondence that, by construction, only bridges theoretical terms across subsequent theories. Fourth, we suggest that, even if accepted, the structural correspondence fails to support scientific realism, which should aim to identify continuity between scientific theories, while oxidation-reduction chemistry remains merely an instrumental framework. Overall, this essay underscores the limitations of structural realism in accommodating the ontological disruptions in non-mathematized sciences, such as certain areas of chemistry, ultimately questioning its ability to 'leave the comfort zone' of theoretical physics where it originated.
History of chemistry · phlogiston theory · Scientific realism · structural realism · theory change · Historical Philosophy and Science · Philosophy and History of Science · Philosophy, Science, and History
Structural Realism
Carnap on theoretical terms
Structural realism versus standard scientific realism
Structural correspondence between theories and convergence to truth
How the growth of science ends theory change
Structural correspondence, indirect reference, and partial truth
Moderate structural realism about space-time
A frame-theoretic analysis of two rival conceptions of heat
What is right with the miracle argument
Scientific pluralism and the Chemical Revolution
What is structural realism
Ramsey Sentence Realism as an Answer to the Pessimistic Meta-Induction
In Defense of Convergent Realism
Scientific Realism and the ‘Pessimistic Induction’
A Confutation of Convergent Realism
When Empirical Success Implies Theoretical Reference
The ‘absolute existence’ of phlogiston
| Highly cited | No |
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