[49] Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind By Paul Churchland

An introduction and summary of "Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind" By Paul Churchland 1979 A study in the philosophy of science, proposing a strong form of the doctrine of scientific realism' and developing its implications for issues in the philosophy of mind. 'This is a very ambitious book. Beginning with the premise of scientific realism (explained clearly in the first six pages), Churchland aims at little less than a 'transvaluation of all values'. If some of Churchland's more glowing descriptions sound rather like The Tao of Science, that is probably all to the good; the consequences drawn are important, vivid, and much better calculated to give life to the philosophical issues than aridly abstract discussions … I recommend the reading of this book to scientific realists and to diehard empiricists alike.' Bas C. Van Fraassen, The Canadian Journal of Philosophy 'Once in a great while a book appears that makes us want to stand up and cheer. Churchland has written just such a book … The most delightful and intriguing sections of the book are those in which Churchland shows how we might expand our perceptual and introspective consciousness, and come to see the physical world and ourselves through the categories provided by science.' Stephen P. Stitch, Ethics From the Back Cover The present essay is addressed simultaneously to two distinct audiences. The first audience consists of my professional colleagues, other academics, students, and lay readers, who are less than intimately familiar with the philosophical position commonly called scientific realism. For them I have here attempted to make available in fairly short compass a coherent and comprehensive account of that position as it bears on the philosophy of perception, on the theory of meaning, on the philosophy of mind, and on systematic epistemology.