Arroyo, Raoni and Morganti, Matteo (2024) The game of metaphysics: towards a fictionalist (meta)metaphysics of science. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Metaphysics is traditionally conceived as aiming at the truth — indeed, the most fundamental truths about the most general features of reality. Philosophical naturalists, urging that philosophical claims be grounded on science, have often assumed an eliminativist attitude towards metaphysics, consequently paying little attention to such a definition. In the more recent literature, however, naturalism has instead been taken to entail that the traditional conception of metaphysics can be accepted if and only if one is a scientific realist (and puts the right constraints on acceptable metaphysical claims). Here, we want to suggest that naturalists can, and perhaps should, pick a third option, based on a significant yet acceptable revision of the established understanding of metaphysics. More particularly, we will claim that a fictionalist approach to metaphysics is compatible with both the idea that the discipline inquires into the fundamental features of reality and naturalistic methodology; at the same time, it meshes well with both scientific realism and instrumentalism.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Arroyo, Raoni rwarroyo@unicamp.br 0000-0002-3800-8505 Morganti, Matteo mmorganti@uniroma3.it
Additional Information:	Accepted manuscript, forthcoming in Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale (special issue: “Metaphysics of Science”, 2025/2).
Keywords:	metaphysics, naturalism, fictionalism, (anti-)realism, underdetermination.
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Depositing User:	Dr. Raoni Arroyo
Date Deposited:	22 May 2025 12:38
Last Modified:	22 May 2025 12:38
Item ID:	25405
Subjects:	General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism
Date:	October 2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25405

Available Versions of this Item

• The game of metaphysics: towards a fictionalist (meta)metaphysics of science. (deposited 26 Oct 2024 13:55)
  • The game of metaphysics: towards a fictionalist (meta)metaphysics of science. (deposited 22 May 2025 12:38) [Currently Displayed]

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