The Barcelona International Conference on Advances in Statistics (BAS 2012) : Abstracts of communications

Conferència Organitzada per l'Escola Politècnica Superior, Universitat de Vic en col·laboració amb Servei d'Estadística de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona i CosmoCaixa Barcelona. Celebrada del 18 al 22 de juny de 2012 a Barcelona

Models, truth and realism: assessing Bas van Fraassen's views on scientific representation

This paper is devoted to an analysis of some aspects of Bas van Fraassen's views on representation. While I agree with most of his claims, I disagree on the following three issues. Firstly, I contend that some isomorphism (or at least homomorphism) between the representor and what is represented is a universal necessary condition for the success of any representation, even in the case of misrepresentation. Secondly, I argue that the so-called "semantic" or "model-theoretic" construal of theories does not give proper due to the role played by true propositions in successful representing practices. Thirdly, I attempt to show that the force of van Fraassen's pragmatic - and antirealist - "dissolution" of the "loss of reality objection" loses its bite when we realize that our cognitive contact with real phenomena is achieved not by representing but by expressing true propositions about them.

Carte géographique representant le cours entier du Rhin, de la Moselle, de la Meuse et de l'Escaut avec les pays confins spécialement l'état actuel de toutes les possessions de la Maison de l'Autriche dans les Pays Bas et une grande partie de la France = Cabinetskarte welche den ganzen Lauff des Rheins, der Mosel, der Maas und Schelde nebst den angraenzenden Laendern vorzüglich alle gegenwaertige Besi[t]zungen des Hauses Oesterreich in den Niederlanden und einen grossen Theil von Frankreich vorstellt

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Revue germanique : Allemagne, Angleterre, Etats-Unis, Pays-Bas, Scandinavie

1931/01 (A22,N1)-1931/12 (A22,N4).