Research: Extending the Scope of Causal Realism

Project

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

Conference

Call for Papers

Meta-Level Reflections on the Scientific Realism Debate

Deadline: January 31, 2025
Notification: March 2025

Workshop June 30 – July 2, 2025, at the University of Bern, Switzerland

Organized by Matthias Egg, Mahdi Khalili, and Frederick Britt

Confirmed speakers are Sandy Boucher, Anjan Chakravartty, Curtis Forbes, Leah Henderson, Stathis Psillos, Kyle Stanford, and Peter Vickers.

It has repeatedly been claimed that the debate on scientific realism is a mess. While realists have always felt that major theories are too successful to be false, many find such confidence difficult to reconcile with the history and practice of science and thus seek to establish more cautious accounts of how to discern reasonably secure parts of scientific knowledge. The debate is thriving, to be sure, but for all its sophistication some think it is bound to end in stalemate: Taking the history and practice of science into account, at any rate, has not led to anything like closure, but rather to a wealth of case studies so controversial as to turn many people away from the debate altogether.

In this workshop, we will take a step back and reconsider the nature, value, and means of the debate. Indeed, there have been clear signs of a particularist as well as a pragmatic turn for some time. Particularists, on the one hand, might endorse the proliferation of case studies while arguing that philosophical considerations must yield to scientific evidence for or against any specific claims under consideration. Pragmatists, on the other hand, might embrace the proliferation of philosophical accounts while arguing that they will ultimately rest on opposing stances rather than solid evidence of any kind. This raises further questions as to whether there might be any grounds to adopt one stance over another. There are those who advocate voluntarism in this respect, but many would rather see practical implications for research, science policy, science communication, or the social role of science being explored and taken into account accordingly.

How promising are these developments? To address this, our workshop will bring together scholars who are particularly interested in exploring:

The importance and limitations of using case studies in the realism debate.
The need (or needlessness) to justify the adoption of a certain stance in the debate.
The usefulness of the debate for science, science policy, or society at large.
Other approaches to rendering the debate more fruitful.

We invite submissions for talks (encouraging especially early career researchers and members of underrepresented groups) that align with the theme of the workshop. Submissions should include an abstract of 500 to 800 words and should be submitted via email to Mahdi Khalili (mahdi.khalili@unibe.ch) by January 31, 2025.

We plan to offer travel grants for selected applications by researchers who cannot obtain funding from their home institution. Details on how to apply for travel grants will be provided once papers have been accepted.

This workshop is part of the project Extending the Scope of Causal Realism, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.