Realism and Scientific Instrumentation
{'Code': '08080301', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DBI', 'LongName': 'Div Of Biological Infrastructure'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Ronald J. Overmann', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
There has been a long and as yet unresolved debate between                      realism and instrumentalism in the philosophy of science.                       Realists of various stripes want to argue that the theories of                  science are either true or are becoming closer and closer                       approximations to the truth about how the world works.  Realists,               for example, would argue that quarks really exist.                              Instrumentalists (anti-realists) argue that it is impossible to                 know whether our theories are true.  Rather, they argue, the only               valid point in our study of science is to see if the theories                   work, i.e. whether they make correct predictions.  They would                   argue that it is impossible to know whether quarks exist, but                   they do serve as a good "instrument" for predicting what will                   happen in certain experiments.  Under this grant, Dr. Brown is                  seeking to develop and defend a new version of scientific realism               that he calls "weak realism."  Weak realism can be summarized in                two theses:  (1) One aim of science is the development of                       theories that provide true descriptions of features of the world;               (2) Because of the growing variety and sophistication of                        scientific instrumentation, our ability to pursue this goal has                 been increasing.  Weak realism stands in contrast to those                      antirealist views which deny that the pursuit of truth is a                     legitimate scientific aim.  Weak realism also stands in contrast                to other extant versions of scientific realism since weak realism               does not require that any current scientific theories be true or                approximately true, or that the entities postulated in these                    theories exist.  Still, the view that Dr. Brown calls "weak                     realism" is a considerably stronger form of realism than others                 currently under debate.  What is especially important about this                approach, in contrast to earlier efforts, is the emphasis on the                role of increasingly sophisticated instrumentation in the                       argumentative route to realism.  Dr. Brown will carefully examine               in a way that philosophers of science have not previous done the                role of this highly complex instrumentation in the development of               contemporary scientific theories.
{'FirstName': 'Harold', 'LastName': 'Brown', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'I', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Harold I Brown', 'EmailAddress': None, 'NSF_ID': '000161716', 'StartDate': '07/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Northern Illinois University', 'CityName': 'DEKALB', 'ZipCode': '601152828', 'PhoneNumber': '8157531581', 'StreetAddress': '1425 W LINCOLN HWY', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Illinois', 'StateCode': 'IL', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '16', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'IL16', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'M2EEE68GGCY9', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1353', 'Text': 'Hist & Philosophy of SET'}
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