Bas C. van Fraassen

Bas C. van Fraassen is a prominent philosopher known for his contributions to the debate between scientific realism and anti-realism. He advocates for constructive empiricism, which suggests that scientific theories aim to provide useful models for observable phenomena rather than describe an underlying reality. In confirmation theory, he emphasizes the importance of empirical adequacy—whether a theory accurately accounts for observable data—over truth claims about unobservables. His work also explores the philosophy of probability, focusing on how probabilities can reflect an agent's beliefs rather than objective features of the world.