Walking the line
Kuhn between realism and relativism
pp. 135-152
Abstract
In this chapter, I evaluate the thorny issue as to whether Thomas Kuhn's view supports a form of realism or relativism. I consider two prominent realist readings of Kuhn, offered respectively by Hoyningen-Huene and Giere, and some of the challenges each of them faces. I offer then a reading of Kuhn's contentious claim about "working in a new world" in terms of what I call naturalized Kantian kinds. I show how this reading can escape some of the challenges and deliver a mild form of realism.
Publication details
Published in:
Devlin William J., Bokulich Alisa (2015) Kuhn's structure of scientific revolutions: 50 years on. Dordrecht, Springer.
Pages: 135-152
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-13383-6_10
Full citation:
Massimi Michela (2015) „Walking the line: Kuhn between realism and relativism“, In: W. J. Devlin & A. Bokulich (eds.), Kuhn's structure of scientific revolutions, Dordrecht, Springer, 135–152.