Description
This book presents a persuasive argument in favour of evolutionary naturalism and outlines what such a stance means for our capacity of observation and understanding reality. The author discusses how our capacity of knowledge is adapted to handle sensory information about the environment in the light of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The implication of this is that much of our thinking in science and philosophy that goes beyond our immediate experience rests on abstractions and hypostatization. This book rejects the possibility of having any knowledge of reality as it is in itself, while not denying that our capacity of conceptual abstractions is of great benefit for our survival. Jan Faye teaches epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has published extensively within these areas in Danish as well as English. Some of his latest books include After Postmodernism (2012) and The Nature of Scientific Thinking (2014). On Evolutionary Naturalism Contents Preface 1 Evolutionary Naturalism The manifest image The scientific image Kant’s metaphysical dualism Evolutionary epistemology 2 Evolution and Human Cognition The Darwinian legacy Setting the legacy straight A fallacy of naturalization Intention and innate dispositions 3 Sensation, Perception, and Observation Perception as belief acquisition From perception to observation Theory-ladenness Instrumental observation Observability 4 Theory and Reality Forms of realism Conceptual frameworks and external commitments Scientific realism The success argument Constructive empiricism Structural realism The failure of representationalism 5 Truth, Language, and Objectivity What is truth? Truth and meaning Non-realism concerning Truth A naturalized notion of truth Semantics and ontology 6 Abstraction and Reification Common sense and externality What makes an entity abstract? Abstract objects and abstracted concepts Why did abstracted concepts evolve? 7 In Defence of Nominalism Concrete, artificial, and nominal particulars Universals or particulars Conceptualism 8 Space, Time, and Space-time Kant on space and time The existence of space The existence of time Space-time substantivalism Space-time relationism 279 Space-time as an abstracted concept Are space and time invented or discovered? 9 Causality and Contrafactuality The concept Regularity Modality 10 Human Evolution and Mathematical Physics Mathematics and representational knowledge Mathematics – the language of quantities Possible worlds, many worlds and multiverses The Copenhagen interpretation: instrumentalism versus representationalism 11 Conclusion Bibliography
