In
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...
, constructive empiricism is a form of
empiricism
In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological view which holds that true knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience and empirical evidence. It is one of several competing views within epistemology, along ...
. While it is sometimes referred to as an empiricist form of
structuralism
Structuralism is an intellectual current and methodological approach, primarily in the social sciences, that interprets elements of human culture by way of their relationship to a broader system. It works to uncover the structural patterns t ...
, its main proponent,
Bas van Fraassen, has consistently distinguished between the two views.
Overview
Bas van Fraassen is nearly solely responsible for the initial development of constructive empiricism; its historically most important presentation appears in his ''The Scientific Image'' (1980). Constructive empiricism states that
scientific theories are
semantically literal, that they aim to be empirically adequate, and that their acceptance involves, as belief, only that they are empirically adequate. A theory is empirically adequate if and only if everything that it says about observable
entities is true (regardless of what it says about unobservable entities). A theory is semantically literal if and only if the language of the theory is interpreted in such a way that the claims of the theory are either true or false (as opposed to an
instrumentalist reading).
Constructive empiricism is thus a
normative,
semantic
Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
and
epistemological
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...
thesis. That
science
Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
aims to be empirically adequate expresses the
normative component. That scientific theories are semantically literal expresses the
semantic
Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
component. That acceptance involves, as belief, only that a theory is empirically adequate expresses the epistemological component.
Constructive empiricism opposes
scientific realism,
logical positivism (or
logical empiricism) and
instrumentalism. Constructive empiricism and scientific realism agree that theories are semantically literal, which logical positivism and instrumentalism deny. Constructive empiricism, logical positivism and instrumentalism agree that theories do not aim for
truth
Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...
about unobservables, which scientific realism denies.
Constructive empiricism has been used to analyze various scientific fields, from
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
to
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
(especially
computational psychology).
See also
*
Structuralism (philosophy of science), a related view
[Votsis, I. (2004), ''The Epistemological Status of Scientific Theories: An Investigation of the Structural Realist Account'', University of London, London School of Economics, PhD Thesis, p. 196.]
Notes
References
*Van Fraassen, Bas. ''The Scientific Image''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980.
*Godfrey-Smith, Peter ''Theory and Reality'' p. 184-186, 234. University of Chicago Press.
*Monton, Bradley (ed.), ''Images of Empiricism: Essays on Science and Stances, with a Reply from Bas C. van Fraassen''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. .
External links
*
In Defense of van Fraassenvan Fraassen's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constructive Empiricism
Metatheory of science
Constructivism
Empiricism
Concepts in the philosophy of science