> I agree with you: most scientists are probably realists (has anyone
> done a survey?). However, I think it was Reichenbach (Justin, help
> me out?) who noted that the philosophical perspective of the scientist
> wouldn't have any real impact on day to day work. If you're
> an idealist, the quarks are products of human perception, but
> you've got to use exactly the same procedures to study them
> that a "realist" physicist would use. So "realism" is not
> a logical prerequisite for doing science or advancing scientific
> knowledge. (It might help when you're writing NSF grants,
> though.)
>
> Miles
Yeah, your metaphysics isn't likely to affect the way you do physics.
-- Luke