Realism and truth
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Realism and truth
B. Blackwell, 1991
2nd ed
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [304]-318) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
What is realism about the external world? A striking aspect of the current debate is the lack of a clear answer to this metaphysical question. The question is commonly conflated with a semantic question about truth. The book sharply distinguishes these questions and argues, from a naturalistic perspective, that the metaphysical one is prior. It advocates a thorough-going realism about the common-sense and scientific physical world. From this basis, it puts forward a correspondence notion of truth, explained in terms of reference, which is in turn explained by a causal theory. It criticizes relativist and constructionist views held by Kuhn and many others (structuralists and post-structuralists). It has detailed criticisms of van Fraassen, Davidson, Rorty, Putnam, Dummett, and others. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and includes a new chapter on Rorty; an expanded discussion on relativism and Kantian constructionism, and truth; and a defence of the role of inference to the best explanation in arguing for realism.
Table of Contents
- Part 1 Introduction. Part 2 Proposals: what is realism?
- what is truth?
- what has truth to do with realism?
- why be a commonsense realist?
- why do we need truth?
- why be a scientific realist?. Part 3 Polemics: Van Fraasen against scientific realism
- Kuhn, Feyerabend and radical philosophers of science
- Davidsonians agianst reference
- Rorty's mirrorless world
- the renegade Putnam
- constructivism and independence
- Dummett's anti-realism. Part 4 Conclusions. Appendix: list of named maxims and doctrines.
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