What is Hacking’s argument for entity realism?
Synthese 193 (3):991-1006 (2016)
Abstract
According to Ian Hacking’s Entity Realism, unobservable entities that scientists carefully manipulate to study other phenomena are real. Although Hacking presents his case in an intuitive, attractive, and persuasive way, his argument remains elusive. I present five possible readings of Hacking’s argument: a no-miracle argument, an indispensability argument, a transcendental argument, a Vichian argument, and a non-argument. I elucidate Hacking’s argument according to each reading, and review their strengths, their weaknesses, and their compatibility with each other
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How the Laws of Physics Lie.Cartwright, Nancy
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.Kuhn, Thomas S.
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2015-05-26
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2015-05-26
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1,423 ( #1,366 of 44,471 )
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245 ( #1,637 of 44,471 )
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