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Full Idea
Realism….is the only philosophy science which does not make the success of science a miracle.
Gist of Idea
Realism is the only philosophy of science that doesn't make the success of science a miracle
Source
Hilary Putnam (works [1980]), quoted by Alexander Bird - Philosophy of Science Ch.4
Book Ref
Bird,Alexander: 'Philosophy of Science' [UCL Press 2000], p.141
A Reaction
This was from his earlier work; he became more pragmatist and anti-realist later. Personally I approve of the remark. The philosophy of science must certainly offer an explanation for its success. Truth seems the obvious explanation.
Related Idea
Idea 6280 Realism is a theory, which explains the convergence of science and the success of language [Putnam]
| 76 | The object of scientific knowledge is what is necessary [Aristotle] |
| 2200 | All experimental conclusions assume that the future will be like the past [Hume] |
| 6782 | Realism is the only philosophy of science that doesn't make the success of science a miracle [Putnam] |
| 6601 | Science rules the globe because of colonising power, not inherent rationality [Feyerabend] |
| 3853 | For science to be rational, we must explain scientific change rationally [Newton-Smith] |
| 3859 | We do not wish merely to predict, we also want to explain [Newton-Smith] |
| 3870 | The real problem of science is how to choose between possible explanations [Newton-Smith] |
| 3329 | Presumably the statements of science are true, but should they be taken literally or not? [Benardete,JA] |
| 5334 | We resist science partly because it can't provide ethical wisdom [Flanagan] |
| 4588 | There is no such thing as 'science'; there are just many different sciences [Heil] |
| 3123 | Science is in the business of carving nature at the joints [Segal] |
| 6779 | Instrumentalists say distinctions between observation and theory vanish with ostensive definition [Bird] |