Caught in the Undertow: There is Structure Beneath the Ontic Stream
32 Pages Posted: 22 Jan 2015
Date Written: December 21, 2010
Abstract
In this paper we reply to the recent special issue of this journal in which several authors explored the possibility of a pluralist cognitive science. Though we identify as problematic the same issues pluralism should be a solution for, our solution is very different. We propose a structural realist approach to cognitive science that is able to deal with the complexity of the object of study as well as the existence of a plethora of ontological frameworks without falling prey to reductionist ontological fundamentalism. In our critique of the pluralism approach we will give an analysis of the current status quo of theory revision in cognitive science and offer solutions that ask for a radical change in current practice of cognitive science. Moreover, a significant part of this paper deals with what we can and cannot learn from physical theories about reality by pointing out some understandable misconceptions about what it is physicist believe their theories describe. We end by providing a rough outline for a research program for a structural realist approach to cognitive science. The outline includes remarks about necessary attitude changes towards the status of ontology and the empirical record, a list of issues concerning cognitive phenomena that need a consensus resolution by a majority of the field and a list of structural realism inspired topics that may serve as a focus for the generation of new empirical records.
Note: This manuscript will not be submitted in its present form and is provided for reference.
Keywords: Structural Realism, Pluralism, Complementarities, Emergence, Holism, Cognitive Phenomena
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation