Can Meaningless Statements Be Approximately True? On Relaxing the Semantic Component of Scientific Realism. Issue 5 (13th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rowbottom, Darrell P.
• Is Part Of: Philosophy of science. Volume 89:Issue 5(2022)
• Page Start: 879
• Page End: 888
• Publication Date: 2022-12-13
• Subjects: Science -- Periodicals; Science -- Philosophy; Science; Science -- Philosophy; Philosophie des sciences; Epistemology; Periodicals; 501
• DOI: 10.1017/psa.2022.74
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1539-767X

Abstract

Abstract: First, I show that the semantic thesis of scientific realism may be relaxed significantly—to allow that some scientific discourse is not truth-valued—without making any concessions concerning the epistemic or methodological theses that lie at realism's core. Second, I illustrate how relaxing the semantic thesis allows realists to avoid positing abstract entities and to fend off objections to the "no miracles" argument from positions such as cognitive instrumentalism. Third, I argue that the semantic thesis of scientific realism should be relaxed because it is possible for scientific statements to be partially true, and hence approximately true, without being false.