"Giere's book makes a serious case for constructivism, but those with strong objectivist inclinations will not be moved. For one thing, in spite of his best efforts and the excellent philosophical company he keeps, the constructivist position remains somewhat obscure. The notion of a physical world that emerges from the interaction of the objective and the subjective is difficult to grasp, even if you are a philosopher. And although Giere's arguments for constructivism are serious and provocative, they have uncertain force. Scientific descriptions surely are incomplete and affected by interest, but these are features the objectivist can take on board. Completeness and objectivity are orthogonal. Maybe in the end constructivism is true, or as true as a constructivist can consistently allow. Nevertheless, the thought that the world has determinate objective structures is almost irresistible, and Giere has not ruled out the optimistic view that science is telling us something about them."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from the United StatesPhilosophers from the United StatesEducators from the United StatesPeople from Cleveland
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Peter Lipton, "The World of Science", Science (11 May 2007)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ronald_Giere
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Ronald Giere
1 quote on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Ronald Giere →
Related Quotes
"For him delicious flavors dwell In books as in old Muscatel."
"And in the evening, everywhere Along the roadside, up and down, I see the golden torches flare Like lighted street-la…"
"Song like a rose should be; Each rhyme a petal sweet; For fragrance, melody, That when her lips repeat The words, her…"
"The hunter catches a dreadful prey, the seaman steers his ship into an unspeakable harbor, the plowman sows and reaps…"
"You are the king no doubt, but in one respect, at least, I am your equal: the right to reply. I claim that privilege …"
"When Hector heard that challenge he rejoiced and right in the no man's land along his lines he strode, gripping his s…"
"In the ancient land of vintage and dance and sun-burnt mirth, there resounded during the Middle Ages a sweet chorus o…"
"The poetry of the troubadours was essentially social in character. Unlike Goethe's minstrel, who sang as the bird amo…"
"In the eleventh century the nobility, which had previously been terribly rough and barbarous, began to grow more refi…"
"Illiterate and yet cultivated, these lords and ladies demanded of their poets a strict adherence to generally recogni…"