Philosophy Scientific Realism Questions Medium
Entity realism and structural realism are two different approaches within the philosophy of scientific realism that aim to understand the nature of scientific theories and their relationship to the world. While both perspectives share the belief in the existence of an external reality that is independent of our observations, they differ in their focus and emphasis.
Entity realism, also known as ontic realism, emphasizes the existence and reality of individual entities or objects in the world. According to entity realism, scientific theories accurately describe the properties and behaviors of these entities. It asserts that scientific theories provide us with knowledge about the underlying entities that exist in the world, even if our understanding of them is incomplete or approximate. Entity realists argue that scientific progress involves refining our knowledge of these entities and their properties.
On the other hand, structural realism, also known as epistemic structural realism, shifts the focus from individual entities to the relationships or structures that exist between them. Structural realists argue that scientific theories primarily capture the relational or structural aspects of the world, rather than providing a complete description of individual entities. They contend that while our understanding of the underlying entities may change over time, the relationships between them remain stable and can be known with greater certainty. Structural realism suggests that scientific progress involves refining our understanding of these relationships and uncovering the fundamental structures that govern the behavior of entities.
In summary, entity realism emphasizes the existence and properties of individual entities, while structural realism focuses on the relationships and structures that exist between entities. Both perspectives acknowledge the reality of an external world, but they differ in their emphasis on entities versus structures in scientific theories.