Seeing Things

Preface Introduction Chapter 1: For and Against Robustness The 'No-Miracle' Argument for Robustness Probabilistic Approaches to Robustness Pragmatic Approaches to Robustness Epistemic Independence Approaches to Robustness Summary Chapter 2: The Mesosome: a Case of Mistaken Observation Introducing the Mesosome: Rasmussen and Culp The Mesosome Experiments Reliable Process Reasoning Rasmussen's Indeterminism Chapter 3: The WIMP: the Value of Model-Independence Dark Matter and WIMPs DAMA's Model-Independent Approach Model-Dependent Approaches An Historical Argument Against Robustness Reliable Process Reasoning Chapter 4: Perrin's Atoms and Molecules Perrin's Table The Viscosity of Gases Brownian Movement: Vertical Distributions in Emulsions Brownian Movement: Displacement, Rotation and Diffusion of Brownian Particles Taking Stock Perrin's Realism about Molecules Chapter 5: Dark Matter and Dark Energy Dark Matter and the Bullet Cluster Type Ia Supernovae and Dark Energy Defeating Systematic Errors: the Smoking Gun Robustness in the Dark Energy Case? Chapter 6: Final Considerations Against Robustness Independence and the Core Argument The Need for Independence Does Not Equal the Need for Robustness The Converse to Robustness is Normally Resisted The Corroborating Witness: Not a Case of Robustness No Robustness Found in Mathematics and Logic Robustness Fails to Ground Representational Accuracy The Sociological Dimension of Robustness Chapter 7: Robustness and Scientific Realism The No-Miracle Argument for Scientific Realism In Support of Theoretical Preservationism Objections to Theoretical Preservationism Realism, the Pessimistic Induction and Preservationism The Improved Standards Response: 'Methodological Preservationism' Conclusion Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 Bibliography Index