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Bas van Fraassen
Bastiaan van Fraassen was born in the Netherlands during WWII. His family later immigrated to Canada, where he attended college before coming to the U.S. -
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Education
Fraassen received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Alberta before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. -
Constructive Empiricism (cont.)
Fraassen described Constructive Empiricism as follows: "Science aims to give us theories which are empirically adequate; and acceptance of a theory involves as belief only that it is empirically adequate" (van Fraassen). He took a stance against interpreting scientific theory literally, which helped revive the anti-realist approach to science. -
Realism vs. Anti-Realism
Scientific realism tries to explain things in a true, literal sense. In contrast, "the constructive empiricist holds that as far as belief is concerned, acceptance of a scientific theory involves only the belief that the theory is empirically adequate" (Monton, Mohler). Although the two sides vary, constructive empiricism is similar to realism in that it does not support a meta[physical view of the universe. -
Empiricism
Constructive empiricism allows for a theory to be accepted as adequate, while not accepting it as true. And, staying true to the empiricist point of view, it categorizes phenomena based on whether or not they are observable or not. -
Ongoing Debate
Constructive Empiricism is one way to view science and all that is done for it. There are other theories and arguments against constructive empiricism. However, Fraassen's work was important in offering a new theory on the philosophy of science and epistemology and inspiring new thought and debate on the topic. -
Constructive Empiricism
Fraassen published his book The Scientific Image, wherein he coined the term Constructive Empiricism. This is a type of scientific anti-realism and is considered one of his most important contributions to the philosophy of science. -
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Legacy
Fraassen has contributed to philosophy for several decades, teaching at various universities. Most famously, he taught at Princeton University from 1982-2008. Since 2008, he teaches at San Francisco State University. -
Additional Explanations
For more on van Fraassen's Constructive Empiricism, please enjoy the following video: Van Fraassen's "Constructive Empiricism" -
References
Monton, Bradley and Mohler, Chad, "Constructive Empiricism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) van Fraassen, B., 1980, The Scientific Image, Oxford: Oxford University Press.