Customer Reviews

Realism and Antirealism

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Edited by William Alston, Realism and Anti Realism is a collection of essays stemming from a 1999 seminar held at Calvin College. Alston is a well-known commentator in the field of the philosophy of religion and epistemology.

Although I am interested in the so-called realism-antirealism debate I am by no means a connoisseur of its various sub-strands. My interest in the question of realism has been primarily limited to its applicability to science and ethics. Perhaps as a result of this perspective I found many of the essays to be rather trivial. I did, however, enjoy Hiskes' piece on the fit between Van Fraassen's constructive empiricism and Christianity. I have similar thoughts with respect to this issue and enjoyed her essay.

The primary motive for publishing this work (as for many other academic pieces) appears to be publishing itself rather than any pressing need to further discussion or the flow of ideas. This is not an entirely bad thing. I support the encouragement of aspiring academics; however, potential readers should be aware that, with few exceptions, the contributors are not leading thinkers in the field. Another potential weakness of the collection is its excessive focus on Alston's work. I can appreciate that they are thankful to be published along side him; however, a broader focus might have made the text more helpful.

Overall, the essays are solid if not particularly significant. It is probably of little interest for most readers.