Epistemology and Metaphysics for Qualitative Research by Tomas Pernecky

Author:Tomas Pernecky [Pernecky, Tomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781446282397
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2016-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

Scientific realism and the problem of unobservable entities

Apart from distinguishing between direct and indirect realism (see Chapter 3), we have considered two ways of obtaining knowledge about the external world: rationalism, whereby ‘truths’ are grasped about nature by employing reason; and empiricism, which builds theories from observation. Consequently, claims can be made about objects and kinds in nature – rocks, trees, animal species, or any other entities or phenomena – which can be either verified or falsified by empirical methods. With the aid of inventions and modern technology, we are now also able to detect objects at the microscopic level (e.g., cells) and very great distances away (e.g., exoplanets and galaxies as far as thirteen billion light-years away).4 Problems arise, however, when we consider knowledge claims about phenomena that are beyond the reach of our senses, and not so easily, or not at all, observable. Albert Einstein’s relativity and quantum theories raised important philosophical problems for the philosophers of the twentieth century, leaving scholars divided on the issue of whether or not the accuracy of theories that deal with unobservable entities should be treated in the same fashion as those that describe observable entities. We have seen that for the logical positivists these were not comparable; we could be grandly mistaken about the existence of subatomic particles and black holes, and any statements about these should not be regarded as scientific. With this came the issue of whether theories that describe unobservable entities should be regarded as true descriptions of reality. The answers to these questions divided academics into two camps: the scientific realists and the anti-scientific realists of various sorts.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.