creators_name: Abbas, Afsar
type: preprint
datestamp: 2005-11-15
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:13
metadata_visibility: show
title: An " Instrumentalism to Realism " Hypothesis
subjects: phil-sci
full_text_status: public
keywords: realism, antirealism, instrumentalism
abstract: 
It is proposed here that all successful and complete theories always proceed through an intermediate stage of instrumentalism to the final stage of realism. Examples from history of science ( both classical and modern ) in support of this hypothesis are presented.

date: 2005-11
date_type: published
refereed: FALSE
referencetext: 
Hall, A. R, and Hall, Marie Boas (1964),
" A brief history of science ",Signet Science Library Books,
The New American Library of World Literature, New York

Ladyman, J. (2002), " Understanding philosophy of science ",
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Nobel Lectures - Physics (1963 - 1970), Elsevier Publishing
Company, New York

Penrose, R. (2004), " The road to reality: a complete guide to the laws of the universe ", Jonathan Cape, London

Russell, B. (1946), " History of western philosophy ",
Routledge, London

Shepere, D. (1964), " The structure of scientific revolutions ", Philosophical Review, Vol. 73, 383 - 94

Wigner, E. (1960), " The unreasonable effectiveness of
mathematics in the natural sciences ", Communications in Pure Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol 13, No. 1

Zweig G. (1965), " Fractionally Charged particles and SU(6) ", in " Symmetry in Elementary Particle Physics ", Ed. A. Zichichi, Holt Academic Press, New Y


citation:   Abbas, Dr. Afsar  (2005) An " Instrumentalism to Realism " Hypothesis.  [Preprint]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/4618/1/psi2r.pdf