Counterfactuals and Scientific Realism (New Directions in the Philosophy of Science)

By Michael J. Shaffer

Book Overview

The author attempts to show that scientific realism is compatible with the presence of idealization in the sciences. His main contention is that idealized theories can be treated as counterfactuals about how things are in worlds that are similar to but simpler than the actual world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1349339067
• ISBN13: 9781349339068
• Release Date: January 2012
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"