The methodological defense of realism scrutinized

I revisit an older defense of scientific realism, the methodological defense, a defense developed by both Popper and Feyerabend. The methodological defense of realism concerns the attitude of scientists, not philosophers of science. The methodological defense is as follows: a commitment to realism leads scientists to pursue the truth, which in turn is apt to put them in a better position to get at the truth. In contrast, anti-realists lack the tenacity required to develop a theory to its fullest. As a consequence, they are less likely to get at the truth.My aim is to show that the methodological defense is flawed. I argue that a commitment to realism does not always benefit science, and that there is reason to believe that a research community with both realists and anti-realists in it may be better suited to advancing science. A case study of the Copernican Revolution in astronomy supports this claim.     

20世纪反实在论"语形学的转向"及其本质特征

从某种意义上讲，20世纪初的“语言学转向”实质上也就是“语形学转向”。这是因为，20世纪的“语言学转向”主要是把形式句法的规范性同经验性联系起来，将科学哲学研究引向经验基底的句法层面，因此，从“语形学转向”的形成、本质特征及其意义等方面对语形学进行详尽的论述，并在此基础上预示其未来发展的研究趋向具有重要的理论意义和实践价值。