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Full Idea
Anti-realists say the only world is imaginary, or only has the parts or classes or relations we divide it into, or doubt that reference to the world is possible, or doubt that our interpretations can achieve truth.
Gist of Idea
Anti-realists see the world as imaginary, or lacking joints, or beyond reference, or beyond truth
Source
David Lewis (Putnam's Paradox [1984], 'Why Anti-R')
Book Ref
Lewis,David: 'Papers in Metaphysics and Epistemology' [CUP 1999], p.71
A Reaction
[compression of a paragraph on anti-realism] Lewis is a thoroughgoing realist. A nice example of the rhetorical device of ridiculing an opponent by suggesting that they don't even know what they themselves believe.
| 14209 | Descriptive theories remain part of the theory of reference (with seven mild modifications) [Lewis] |
| 14215 | Causal theories of reference make errors in reference easy [Lewis] |
| 14210 | A gerrymandered mereological sum can be a mess, but still have natural joints [Lewis] |
| 14213 | Anti-realists see the world as imaginary, or lacking joints, or beyond reference, or beyond truth [Lewis] |
| 14212 | A consistent theory just needs one model; isomorphic versions will do too, and large domains provide those [Lewis] |