Abstract:
Born in Helsinki in 1946, lkka Niiniluoto received a master’s degree in mathematics in 1968 and a doctorate in theoretical philosophy in 1974 from the University of Helsinki. He was Associate Professor of Foundations of Mathematics from 1973 to 1977 and Professor of Theoretical Philosophy from 1977 to 2014. His prolific academic career includes positions as president of important philosophical societies and rector of the University of Helsinki. His main works are Is Science Progressive? (1984), Truthlikeness (1987), Critical Scientific Realism (2002), Truth-Seeking by Abduction (2018) and Beauty, Truth, and Justice (2022). His research explores the interfaces between Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, Logic, Theory of Truth and Axiology of scientific research. In Critical Scientific Realism Niiniluoto addresses the problem of the value of science, refuting a utilitarian instrumentalist conception and defending a socially responsible cognitivism in which science is conceived as a culturally valuable activity in its own right, without the need to satisfy criteria imposed by practical political and economic needs.
Keywords:
Critical realism; Epistemicism/cognitivism; Value of science