Underdetermination and Ontic Structural Realism

Autor: Saeed Masoumi
Jazyk: English<br />Persian
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Philosophical Investigations, Vol 15, Iss 37, Pp 1027-1051 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2251-7960
2423-4419
DOI: 10.22034/jpiut.2020.38918.2525
Popis: One of the most important arguments against scientific realism is underdetermination, so realists should address the argument satisfactorily and give an appropriate response to it. Underdetermination divides into holist and contrastive forms; in this article, we will only deal with the contrastive form. By examining different responses, it will turn out that while they are successful in some cases, there are instances where responses are not satisfactory. Specifically, two formulations of Newtonian mechanics are examined and the examination reveals an important instance of underdetermination that cannot be accounted for by most responses. We argue that the appropriate option is ontic structural realism that can resolve the underdetermination. We also should emphasize that ontic structural realism is empirical and a posteriori, meaning that the truth of its claim must be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals