Abstract

GAVA, ALESSIO. Kusch and van Fraassen on Microscopio Experience . Rev. latinoam. filos. [online]. 2019, vol.45, n.1, pp.1-20. ISSN 1852-7353.

Martin Kusch has recently defended i ₇ Bas van Fraassen’s controversial view on microscopes, according to which these devices are not “windows on an invisible world”, but rather “image generators”. Both authors also claim that, since in a microscopic detection it is not possible to empirically investígate the geometrical relations between all the elements involved, one is entitled to maintain an agnostic view about the reality of the entity allegedly represented by the produced image. In this paper I argue that, contrary to what Kusch maintains, this might not be a neutral way to render scientific evidence. Moreover, a constructive empiricist can support a realist interpretation of microscopic images. In fact, constructive empiricism and van Fraassen’s own anti-realism do not necessarily amount to the same thing.

Keywords : constructive empiricism; Kusch; microscopes; theory-ladenness of experience, van Fraassen.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )