Truth, Laws and the Progress of Science
نویسنده
چکیده
In this paper I analyze the difficult question of the truth of mature scientific theories by tackling the problem of the truth of laws. After introducing the main philosophical positions in the field of scientific realism, I discuss and then counter the two main arguments against realism, namely the pessimistic metainduction and the abstract and idealized character of scientific laws. I conclude by defending the view that well-confirmed physical theories are true only relatively to certain values of the variables that appear in the laws.
منابع مشابه
The Role of Values in Post-Modern Economics
Economists, like all mortals, spend most of their time thinking about definitive realities. We have made a profession of discovering laws of human behavior that govern resource use. We use our laws to generate policy and our desire is to progress toward the absolute truth of economics so that we need not live amid chaotic unpredictable happenings. We are proud that our discipline is a science a...
متن کاملYour Call Could not be Completed as Dialled: Why Truth Does not Speak to Power In Global Health; Comment on “Knowledge, Moral Claims and the Exercise of Power in Global Health”
This article contends that legitimacy in the exercise of power comes from the consent of those subject to it. In global health, this implies that the participation of poor country citizens is required for the legitimacy of major actors and institutions. But a review of institutions and processes suggests that this participation is limited or absent. Particularly because of the complex political...
متن کاملPopulism, Exclusion, Post-truth. Some Conceptual Caveats; Comment on “The Rise of Post-truth Populism in Pluralist Liberal Democracies: Challenges for Health Policy”
In their editorial, Speed and Mannion identify two main challenges “the rise of post-truth populism” poses for health policy: the populist threat to inclusive healthcare policies, and the populist threat to well-designed health policies that draw on professional expertise and research evidence. This short comment suggests some conceptual clarifications that might help in thinking through more p...
متن کاملPreventive Strategies for Damages Induced by Reconstructive Plastic Surgeries within Laws of UK and Iran
The progress of medical knowledge on one hand and social necessities as well as spiritual needs on the other hand are among the elements affecting the increasing tendency to plastic surgery in different societies. Due to special properties of this type of medical operations in the area of aesthetic and reconstructive surgeries, there are social and legal issues together with numerous mental and...
متن کامل