Subject: RE: BHA: scientific realism,
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 20:38:15 -0000


Hi Ruth,

Good to have you back on the list.  A question for you.  According to
the method you have set out below, it seems to me that for you
capitalist social relations are true.  Have I got that right?  If I have
not, perhaps you can explain why on the method you have set out below
capitalist social relations are false?

Phil

Hey guys,

Thanks to people who responded to my test message.  It seems that I am
able to post again.

I am way behind in everything, and so can't respond to the current
thread in the way that I'd like to at all.  But I wanted to say that the
mainstream move of defining ontological realism in terms of a theory
about what is meant by the concept of truth and/or in terms of an
attendant claim about the truth-value of scientific theory, is a really
unhelpful category error.

I like to keep the following issues separate (and for what it's worth it
is consistent with a realist position to do so):

1. Ontological realism.  A claim about the independent existence of
specified objects ("scientific realism" being a claim about the
independent existence of the objects of scientific theories
specifically).  

2. The correspondence theory of truth.  One account of what the concept
of truth does or must mean.

3. Justification criteria.   Epistemic criteria according to which we
judge a theory to be true (*however* we happen to define the term
"true").  

4. The epistemic status of scientific theory.  The ascribed truth-value
(however we define the concept of "truth" and whatever we point to as
justification criteria) of scientific claims.   

r.


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