The Features And Significance Of Van Fraassen’s Empirical Adequacy

The article bases on the context, it systematically analyzes and reviews Van Fraassen’s "empirical adequacy", aims to depend on the theory of context methodologically, exploring the rich cognitive philosophy thoughts behind the concept.Firstly the article provides a meticulous and overall statement of the proposition and intension of empirical adequacy. After the traditional theory of truth, the meaning theory of contemporary scientific realism and semantic analysis of realism encountered all kinds of dilemmas, empirical adequacy occurs. Van Fraassen provides a different understanding for the problems that puzzle the philosophy of science. After introducing the backgrounds of empirical adequacy, the article further explores the deep intension of empirical adequacy:the unity of uncertainty and certainty, the unity of subjectivity and objectivity. Then from the angle of contextualism, analyze a serious of features of empirical adequacy:the feature of relativity, the feature of holism, practicability and the unity of morphosyntax, semantics and pragmatics. Van Fraassen opposes strongly and criticizes the philosophy position of absolutization in the traditional philosophy of science. So the features of relativity, holism, practicability and the unity of morphosyntax, semantics and pragmatics are introduced into his empirical adequacy and the whole constructive empiricism. From the position of "weak", he avoided and even eliminated absoluteness and the certainty of the truth in the traditional philosophies. The article further discusses the significances of empirical adequacy. Van Fraassen based on the empirical adequacy to eliminate the challenges and deepen ontological problems of the truth of theory, at the same time inspired the modern philosophy of science, with the position of anti-realism defended empiricism, and in a certain sense he formulates a preliminary programme of postmodern philosophy of science. In the development of philosophy of science, the significance of Van Fraassen’s creative contributions is profound.