Critical realism — making sense of science

19 Sep, 2021 at 23:09 | Posted in Theory of Science & Methodology | 2 Comments

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2 Comments

  1. ““Social reality …is no less existentially intransitive than natural reality because while social reality is to a certain extent produced by and dependent of the human mind it exists as distinct referents that are relatively autonomous of their investigation. Therefore social reality is also existentially intransitive.””
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    As Groucho Marx said:
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    “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”

    Comment by Henry Rech— 20 Sep, 2021 #

  2. This video is the 2nd of six videos which give a delightfully clear exposition of Roy Bhaskar’s philosophy called “critical realism”. The videos are produced by Dr. Johnny C. Go, a Jesuit theologian and academic in the Philippines.
    Unfortunately Dr. Go gives no hint of any weaknesses in Bhaskar’s philosophy.
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    In this 2nd video there is little which is seriously controversial, except perhaps the following passage at 12’25”. This is difficult to understand and there is no clear explanation in later videos.
    “Social reality …is no less existentially intransitive than natural reality because while social reality is to a certain extent produced by and dependent of the human mind it exists as distinct referents that are relatively autonomous of their investigation. Therefore social reality is also existentially intransitive.”
    ——
    Much more questionable aspects of critical realism are presented as gospel truth in the later 3rd and 4th videos. Critical realists agree with common sense that reality consists of things and events that people experience and actual events that occur without anyone being aware of them.
    But in addition, they claim that reality includes a “deeper reality” of concepts and beliefs, such as hidden causal forces, social structures and mysterious ill-defined powers.
    They even claim that false concepts and beliefs are real !
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    Such claims are explicitly excluded in dictionary definitions of reality, e.g. from the Oxford English Dictionary:
    Reality
    1 The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them
    2 a thing that is actually experienced or seen.
    3 the state or quality of having existence or substance.
    In Philosophy: existence that is absolute or objective and not subject to human decisions or conventions.
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    Moreover, the critical realist concept of deeper reality has zero empirical evidence. There is zero physical or other scientific evidence, zero testimony from travelers into “deeper reality”, zero communication with the inhabitants, zero information from supernatural beings, and zero valid evidence from dreams, fantasies or UFOs.

    Comment by Kingsley Lewis— 20 Sep, 2021 #


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