CONSTRUCTIVE REALISM - Prof. Dr. Friedrich Wallner

Institute of Philosophy, University of Vienna, Austria

A. Under the impression of the weak influence of philosophy of science to the natural sciences we elaborated an alternative approach of understanding.

1. The standpoint are the real needs of the working scientists.

2. The main thesis is that science does not describe the world, but constructs a new, an artificial reality.

3. We apply methods taken from hermeneutics for interpreting the sciences - for instance: strangification - a kind of distantiation (Verfremdung).

5. We are using empirical methods - taken from the sociological research of the research too, for instance interview - methods.

B. Goals of Constructive Realism

1. Self-understanding of the sciences especially the scientists (for avoiding that scientific work is to become alienated work).

2. To get some outlines for organizing the teaching of the sciences especially to reorganize Universities.

3. To make science surveyable for political decisions.

C.The Group

Beside the staff of my Department there are about fifty colleagues from different fields - (psychology, physics, philosophy, sociology, economics, etc.) working with me.

D. I could offer a paper about Constructive Realism in general or papers about special questions of Constructive Realism (connected with psychology, philosophy, biology or physics).