Realismo epistemológico, referencia y verosimilitud

Abstract

This paper attempts to determine the commitements of the realist view of scientific theories. First, it distinguishes between ontological realism and epistemological realismo Then, it affirms that the latter is committed with the concepts of reference and truthlikeness. It rejects the so-called referential realism, and against this, it maintains that it is not possible to perform genuine acts of reference by means of false descriptions, Every act of reference needs a true description, It exemplifies this thesis with the problem of identifying elementary particles. Finally, it concludes by analysing the condítions which are necessary and sufficient for the conservation of the reference when a change of theory takes place.