Project description
Scientific realism is usually challenged on the basis that current theories will be abandoned like many successful theories before them. Realists have responded to this challenge by becoming selective about which parts of science should be treated realistically. Causal realism is one version of selective realism, arguing that certain causal explanations are definitive, in the sense that they are likely to survive any further changes in the theoretical framework of current science. This project seeks to strengthen causal realism in interesting ways, namely (1) by relating it to other approaches of selective realism, (2) by investigating whether and how these insights enable causal realism to overcome challenges from the history of science and (3) by preparing various novel case studies outside of particle physics (where causal realism was originally developed), namely in astrophysics, molecular biology, paleontology/earth sciences, and empirical psychology. This will allow us to extend the scope of causal realism, and to develop a maximally robust response to objections stemming from the history of science.
Duration
07/2024 - 06/2026
Funded by
Swiss National Science Foundation
