1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910780639803321

Autore

Bunge Mario <1919->

Titolo

Chasing reality : strife over realism / / Mario Bunge

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Toronto, [Ontario] ; ; Buffalo, [New York] ; ; London, [England] : , : University of Toronto Press, , 2006

©2006

ISBN

1-281-99189-9

9786611991890

1-4426-7285-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (357 p.)

Collana

Toronto Studies in Philosophy

Disciplina

149.2

Soggetti

Realism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Reality and Hylorealism -- 2. Phenomena, Phenomenalism, and Science -- 3. Antirealism Today: Positivism, Phenomenology, Constructivism -- 4. Causation and Chance: Apparent or Real? -- 5. Behind Screens: Mechanisms -- 6. From Z to A: Inverse Problems -- 7. Bridging Fact and Theory -- 8. To Reality through Fiction -- 9. Transcendentals Are Of This World -- 10. From Plato's Cave to Galileo's Hill: Realism Vindicated -- Appendix: Fact and Pattern -- References -- Index of Names -- Index of Subjects

Sommario/riassunto

Chasing Reality deals with the controversies over the reality of the external world. Distinguished philosopher Mario Bunge offers an extended defence of realism, a critique of various forms of contemporary anti-realism, and a sketch of his own version of realism, namely hylorealism. Bunge examines the main varieties of antirealism - Berkeley's, Hume's, and Kant's; positivism, phenomenology, and constructivism - and argues that all of these in fact hinder scientific research.Bunge's realist contention is that genuine explanations in the sciences appeal to causal laws and mechanisms that are not directly observable, rather than simply to empirical generalisations. Genuine science, in his view, is objective even when it deals with subjective



phenomena such as feelings of fear. This work defends a realist view of universals, kinds, possibilities, and dispositions, while rejecting contemporary accounts of these that are couched in terms of modal logic and 'possible worlds.'