scientific realism
sy-en-TIF-ik REE-uh-liz-um
ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk ˈriːəlɪzəmListen
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Dictionary meaning
the position that the entities, structures, and processes postulated by successful scientific theories genuinely exist mind-independently, including unobservable entities such as electrons, genes, and fields; scientific realists typically argue that the predictive success of science constitutes evidence for the approximate truth of theoretical claims about unobservables; contrasted with instrumentalism, which treats theories as merely useful calculating tools, and constructive empiricism, which restricts belief to claims about observables
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