Instrumentalism

Darrell P. ROWBOTTOM

doi:10.4324/9780203712498-8

Instrumentalism

Darrell P. ROWBOTTOM^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Philosophy

Research output: Book Chapters | Papers in Conference Proceedings › Book Chapter › Research › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This chapter does three main things. First, it provides a characterisation of instrumentalism with reference to nineteenth-century thinkers involved in its genesis. Second, it identifies and addresses several common misconceptions concerning instrumentalism. Third, it covers several key objections to instrumentalism, which hinge on the significance of observability. Overall, the chapter argues that instrumentalism is a live position when it is properly construed.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Pages	84-95
Number of pages	12
ISBN (Electronic)	9781351362917
ISBN (Print)	9781138888852
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203712498-8
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2017

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10.4324/9780203712498-8

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Instrumentalism

Abstract

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The instrument of science : scientific anti-realism revitalised

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