Whatdoesitmeantobearealistaboutscienceifonetakesseriouslytheviewthatscientificknowledgeisalwaysperspectival,namelyhistoricallyandculturallysituated?InPerspectivalRealism,MichelaMassimiexploreshowscientificknowledgegrowsandevolvesthankstoapluralityofepistemiccommunitiesoccupyinganumberofscientificperspectives.Theresultisaphilosophicalviewthatgoesunderthenameof“perspectivalrealism“,anditoffersanewlensforthinkingaboutscientificknowledge,realismandpluralisminscience.PerspectivalRealismbeginswithanexplorationofhowepistemiccommunitiesoftenresorttoseveralmodelsandapluralityofpractices,drawingonexamplesfromnuclearphysics,climatescience,anddevelopmentalpsychology.Massimiexplainstheperspectivalnatureofscientificrepresentation,theroleofscientificmodelsasinferentialblueprints,andthevarietyofscientificrealismthatnaturallyaccompaniessuchaview.Perspectivalrealismisrealismaboutphenomena(ratherthanabouttheoriesorunobservableentities).Thisnovelrealistviewplacesepistemiccommunitiesandtheirsituatedknowledgecenterstage.Theresultisaportraitofscientificknowledgeasacollaborativeinquiry,wherethereliabilityofscienceismadepossiblebyapluralityofhistoricallyandculturallysituatedscientificperspectives.Alongtheway,Massimioffersinsightintothenatureofscientificmodelling,scientificknowledgequamodalknowledge,data-to-phenomenainferences,andnaturalkindsassortalconcepts.PerspectivalRealismoffersarealistviewthattakesthemulticulturalnatureofscienceseriouslyandcouplesitwithcosmopolitandutiesabouthowoneoughttothinkaboutscientificknowledgeandthedistributionofbenefitsgainedfromscientificadvancements.ThisisanopenaccesstitleavailableunderthetermsofaCCBY-NC-ND4.0Internationallicense.ItisfreetoreadatOxfordScholarshipOnlineandofferedasafreePDFdownloadfromOUPandselectedopenaccesslocations.
