van Fraassen, Bas

"We need not believe in unobservable entities to do good science."

"Observable phenomena exhaust what we can meaningfully evaluate in scientific theories."

"Belief in the literal truth of scientific theories exceeds what the evidence warrants."

"The aim of science is to save the phenomena, not to describe reality as it truly is."

"Empirical adequacy requires that a theory correctly predicts all observable outcomes."

"Philosophy of science must grapple with what we can and cannot know about the unobservable world."

"The debate between realism and empiricism shapes how we understand scientific knowledge."

"Our acceptance of a theory reflects pragmatic success, not metaphysical conviction."

"Constructive empiricism offers a middle path between naive realism and radical skepticism."

"We should be cautious about asserting the existence of what we cannot observe."

"Scientific models can be useful guides without being true pictures of reality."

"The distinction between observables and unobservables is philosophically crucial."

"Empirical success does not guarantee ontological commitment to theoretical entities."

"Theory choice involves rationality, but not necessarily belief in ultimate truth."

"The history of science shows that many confident beliefs were later abandoned."

"Accepting a theory requires only that it fits our observations, not our metaphysics."

"Observable consequences are where the rubber meets the road in science."

"Realism demands too much; skepticism demands too little. Constructivism finds balance."

"The empiricist tradition honors experience as the ultimate arbiter of knowledge."

"Questions about unobservable reality may exceed the proper scope of empirical science."

"Pragmatism in science means valuing what works, not what is ultimately true."

"Philosophy must remain responsive to what science actually reveals about nature."

"Theoretical virtues guide us, but truth is a higher authority than elegance."

"The universe may be far stranger than our theories suggest, and that is humbling."

"Empirical adequacy is sufficient for rational acceptance of scientific theories."

"We must distinguish between explaining phenomena and explaining reality itself."

"Ontological parsimony advises us against populating the world with invisible entities."

"The constructive empiricist respects both empirical evidence and honest uncertainty."

"Science succeeds by tracking what appears, not by penetrating ultimate being."

"Modal logic and possible worlds help us understand meaning without requiring realism."