Science, Realism and Conceptual Schemes

This work provides reflections on some important themes of contemporary philosophy. The problem of realism - in both its metaphysical and scientific versions - plays a key role in the various sections, and the point of departure is Wilfrid Sellars' famous distinction between the manifest and the scientific images of the world. The possibility of "merging" the two images is taken into account, and the conclusion is that human beings will never be able to get rid of common sense. Nicholas Rescher is extensively quoted in the book. The mixture of pragmatism and idealism, typical of Rescher's thought, along with the difference between biological and cultural evolution, is taken into account. Even the issue of conceptual schemes, one of the most controversial in contemporary philosophy, is analyzed from many viewpoints since it has a fundamental bearing on many related questions. For example the problem of scientific realism, the relations between ontology and epistemology, and the role that our conceptualization of the world plays in a realist vs. idealist outlook on reality. The necessary link between science and philosophy is the central thread of the volume.