Chen, Ruey-Lin and Hricko, Jonathon (2023) Experimental criteria for accessing reality: Perrin’s experimental demonstration of atoms and molecules. [Preprint]
 | There is a more recent version of this item available. |
|
Text
Chen+HrickoExperimentalCriteriaPerrinsCase.pdf Download (579kB) | Preview |
Abstract
This paper develops an approach to the scientific realism debate that has three main features. First, our approach admits multiple criteria of reality, i.e., criteria that, if satisfied, warrant belief in the reality of hypothetical entities. Second, our approach is experiment-based in the sense that it focuses on criteria that are satisfied by experiments as opposed to theories. Third, our approach is local in the sense that it focuses on the reality of particular kinds of entities. We apply this approach to a case that many philosophers have debated, namely, Jean Perrin’s work on atoms and molecules. We provide a novel account by arguing that Perrin’s work warranted a minimal belief in the reality of atoms and molecules as unobservable, discrete particles by satisfying a criterion of reality that we call experimental determination of number per unit. By doing so, he confirmed Avogadro’s hypothesis, but he did not confirm other key constituents of the atomic theories involved. We argue that our account of Perrin’s work is preferable to several other accounts, and we use this as a reason in support of our approach to the realism debate more generally.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
|||||||||
| Keywords: | scientific realism, criteria of reality, Jean Perrin, experimentation, Avogadro’s number | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Theory/Observation |
|||||||||
| Depositing User: | Jonathon Hricko | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 15 Feb 2023 14:50 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2023 14:50 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 21760 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Theory/Observation |
|||||||||
| Date: | 2023 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21760 |
Available Versions of this Item
- Experimental criteria for accessing reality: Perrin’s experimental demonstration of atoms and molecules. (deposited 15 Feb 2023 14:50) [Currently Displayed]
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}