December 15, 2025

Bas van Fraassen: Why Science Doesn't Reveal Reality

2 hours 17 minutes

Professor Bas van Fraassen argues science doesn't deliver literal truth about reality, meaning unobservable physics is merely a model. He also contends the self isn't a thing and that logic permits free will, ultimately sharing how he maintains faith in God without relying on metaphysics.

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TIMESTAMPS:

- 00:00 - Reality vs. Appearance

- 08:40 - Scientific Realism vs. Anti-Realism

- 16:30 - The "No Miracles" Argument

- 22:26 - Common Sense Realism

- 27:54 - Trusting Instruments vs. Theories

- 34:22 - Kierkegaard's Call to Decision

- 41:50 - Determinism is a Model

- 48:50 - Sartre on Free Will

- 56:47 - Causation Doesn't Exist in Physics

- 01:05:47 - Language of Human Action

- 01:15:54 - Tarski's Limitative Theorems

- 01:23:50 - "I Am Not a Thing"

- 01:34:20 - Rejecting Analytic Metaphysics

- 01:40:17 - Does God Exist?

- 01:50:50 - Disagreement on Monty Hall

- 01:56:15 - Conversion to Catholicism

LINKS MENTIONED:

- The Scientific Image [Book]: https://amzn.to/499SA72

- Bas's Blog: https://basvanfraassensblog.home.blog/about-me-2/

- The Empirical Stance [Book]: https://amzn.to/3MWbKEK

- Bas's Published Papers: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EBj6wCAAAAAJ&hl=en

- Bas's Published Books: https://amzn.to/3L0njdw

- Reality Is Not What It Seems [Book]: https://amzn.to/3YseMDe

- Matthew Segall [TOE]: https://youtu.be/DeTm4fSXpbM

- The "No Miracles" Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-realism/#MiraArgu

- Bas On Closer To Truth: https://youtu.be/nQnQ9ndlYi4

- The Most Terrifying Philosopher I've Encountered [TOE]: https://youtu.be/BWYxRM__TBU

- Curt Reads Plato's Cave [TOE]: https://youtu.be/PurNlwnxwfY

- Avshalom Elitzur [TOE]: https://youtu.be/pWRAaimQT1E

- Formal Philosophy [Paper]: https://archive.org/details/formalphilosophy00mont/page/n5/mode/2up

- Robert Sapolsky [TOE]: https://youtu.be/z0IqA1hYKY8

- Time And Chance [Book]: https://amzn.to/4qb6tru

- Aaron Schurger [TOE]: https://youtu.be/yDDgDSmfS6Q

- Nancy Cartwright's Published Work: https://www.profnancycartwright.com/publications/books/

- Tim Maudlin [TOE]: https://youtu.be/fU1bs5o3nss

- Elan Barenholtz & Will Hahn [TOE]: https://youtu.be/Ca_RbPXraDE

- On The Electrodynamics Of Moving Bodies [Paper]: https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/Einstein_graduate/pdfs/Einstein_STR_1905_English.pdf

- The 'Twin Earth' Thought Experiment: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam#ref1204773

- Yang-Hui He [TOE]: https://youtu.be/spIquD_mBFk

- The Nonexistent Knight [Book]: https://amzn.to/3XWxfrs

- Wolfgang Smith [TOE]: https://youtu.be/vp18_L_y_30

- Neil deGrasse Tyson Doesn't Understand What "Belief" Means [Article]: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/i-dont-use-the-word-belief-and-scientific

- The Monty Hall Problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem

- Daniel Dennett [TOE]: https://youtu.be/bH553zzjQlI

- Michael Dummett: https://iep.utm.edu/michael-dummett/

- How To Define Theoretical Terms [Paper]: https://www.princeton.edu/~hhalvors/teaching/phi520_f2012/lewis-theoretical-terms.pdf

- The Model-Theoretic Argument: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/realism-sem-challenge/model-theory-completeness.html

- Remembering Hilary Putnam [Article]: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/remembering-hilary-putnam-harvard-philosopher-and-religious-jew

- Hilary Lawson: https://www.hilarylawson.com/biography/

- Language Isn't Just Low Resolution Communication: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com/p/language-isnt-just-low-resolution

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