Grounding the Selectionist Explanation for the Success of Science in the External Physical World.

IF 0.9 4区哲学 Q2 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE Foundations of Science Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Epub Date: 2023-03-13 DOI:10.1007/s10699-023-09907-y

Ragnar van der Merwe

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Abstract

I identify two versions of the scientific anti-realist's selectionist explanation for the success of science: Bas van Fraassen's original and K. Brad Wray's newer interpretation. In Wray's version, psycho-social factors internal to the scientific community - viz. scientists' interests, goals, and preferences - explain the theory-selection practices that explain theory-success. I argue that, if Wray's version were correct, then science should resemble art. In art, the artwork-selection practices that explain artwork-success appear faddish. They are prone to radical change over time. Theory-selection practices that explain theory-success in science are however not faddish. They are mostly stable; that is, long-lived and consistent over time. This is because scientists (explicitly or implicitly) subscribe to what I will call the testability norm: scientific theories must make falsifiable claims about the external physical world. The testability norm and not psycho-sociology explains the theory-selection practices that explain theory-success in science. Contra Wray, scientific anti-realists can then maintain that the external physical world (as expressed in the testability norm) explains theory-success.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10699-023-09907-y.

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科学在外部物理世界中成功的选择论解释

我确定了科学反现实主义者对科学成功的选择主义解释的两个版本：巴斯-范-弗拉森（Bas van Fraassen）的原始解释和K-布拉德-雷（K. Brad Wray）的较新解释。在韦伊的版本中，科学界内部的社会心理因素--即科学家的兴趣、目标和偏好--解释了理论成功的理论选择实践。我认为，如果雷的版本是正确的，那么科学就应该像艺术一样。在艺术中，解释艺术作品成功的艺术作品选择实践显得很时髦。随着时间的推移，它们很容易发生彻底的改变。然而，解释科学理论成功的理论选择实践并不新潮。它们大多是稳定的；也就是说，随着时间的推移，它们会长期存在并保持一致。这是因为科学家们（或明或暗地）认同我所说的可检验性准则：科学理论必须对外部物理世界提出可证伪的主张。可检验性准则而非社会心理学解释了科学理论成功的理论选择实践。与韦伊相反，科学反现实主义者可以坚持认为，外部物理世界（如可检验性规范所表达的）解释了理论的成功：在线版本包含补充材料，可查阅 10.1007/s10699-023-09907-y。

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来源期刊

Foundations of Science HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE-

CiteScore

2.60

自引率

11.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Foundations of Science focuses on methodological and philosophical topics of foundational significance concerning the structure and the growth of science. It serves as a forum for exchange of views and ideas among working scientists and theorists of science and it seeks to promote interdisciplinary cooperation. Since the various scientific disciplines have become so specialized and inaccessible to workers in different areas of science, one of the goals of the journal is to present the foundational issues of science in a way that is free from unnecessary technicalities yet faithful to the scientific content. The aim of the journal is not simply to identify and highlight foundational issues and problems, but to suggest constructive solutions to the problems. The editors of the journal admit that various sciences have approaches and methods that are peculiar to those individual sciences. However, they hold the view that important truths can be discovered about and by the sciences and that truths transcend cultural and political contexts. Although properly conducted historical and sociological inquiries can explain some aspects of the scientific enterprise, the editors believe that the central foundational questions of contemporary science can be posed and answered without recourse to sociological or historical methods.