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CSS Colloquium: Stathis Psillos, University of Athens

Revisiting the 'bankruptcy of Science’ Controversy: lessons for realism

Info about event

Time

Wednesday 6 December 2017,  at 14:15 - 15:45

Location

Aud G1 (1532-116)

The ‘bankruptcy of science’ controversy took place in France towards the end of the nineteenth century. It was a heated debate among scientists, philosophers, literary critics, novelists and various public figures that was widely advertised in the press and caught the attention of the wider public on both sides of the Atlantic. It initially concerned the scope and limits of the scientific worldview and the relation between science and religion, but in later stages (especially when Henri Poincare got involved in it) it was focused on the very idea of objectivity of science and scientific progress. In this talk, I will revisit this controversy, analyse the wider context in which it took place, examine the role of history of science in the defence of a realist approach to science and draw some significant lessons for the current realism debate.