Detection Properties as a Basis for Realism Across the Sciences

This paper argues that realism is best defended across the sciences by appealing to the notion of detection properties. While much of the realism debate has focused on physics, where object-oriented accounts of realism have been prominent, the notion of unobservable objects does not apply as readily in other scientific fields. I show that detection properties—causal properties that scientists have managed to detect through various experimental means—provide a strong basis for realism in various fields within both the physical and life sciences. I take a comparative approach, and I examine how knowledge of detection properties can be gained across diverse scientific disciplines with varying subject matter and methodologies. In this way, this paper demonstrates that a more robust and universally applicable articulation of realism can be achieved by appealing to detection properties as a central feature of realism in each field. This approach highlights the importance of recognizing the epistemically relevant differences between scientific fields for a nuanced defense of realism.