[lbo-talk] *Materialism and Empirio-Criticism*

Mike Ballard swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au
Sun Aug 31 19:26:22 PDT 2003



>
> Realism is pretty much a theoretically worked-out
> version of common sense.
>

For a really lovely refutation of this commonplace misconception, see Paul Churchland's little book, Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind. "Perceptual" realism -- realism about trees, houses, cats, midsized objects generally -- might qualify as beefed up common sense, if we bear in mind that common sense is theoretical through and through. Scientific realism -- realism about the spacetime manifold, quarks and muons, genes and chromosomes -- has not a trace of common sense to it. jks ****************************************************** Reminds me of Einstein's quip, "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18."

Best to all, Mike B)

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