ABSTRACT

Scientific realists and antirealists largely agree that science is in many ways successful in explaining and predicting observable phenomena and in guiding human action. While antirealists suggest that such empirical and pragmatic success is the aim of science, realists argue by abductive reasoning that such success is an indicator of the ability of scientific theories to give true or truthlike representations of unobservable reality. This difference is reflected in their accounts of scientific progress: while antirealists define progress in terms of empirical success or practical problem solving, realists characterize progress by using some truth-related criteria. This chapter defends the view that the notion of truthlikeness or verisimilitude provides the realist the best toolbox for characterizing different aspects of scientific progress and responding to rival antirealist approaches.