The belief that the entities, laws, and structures described by successful scientific theories (like electrons, natural selection, or gravitational waves) are real, mind-independent features of the world, and that science progressively uncovers this objective truth. Theories may change, but they converge on an accurate description of reality "as it is."
Example: A scientific-epistemological realism believes that DNA existed and carried genetic information long before humans discovered it. The shift from Newtonian physics to Einsteinian relativity wasn't a change of arbitrary stories, but a closer approximation to the actual fabric of spacetime. When physicists talk about the Higgs boson, they're not just describing a useful calculation tool; they believe it's a real particle their instruments actually detected.
by Abzugal January 24, 2026
Get the Scientific-Epistemological Realism mug.