Realism and the detection of dark matter.

A number of philosophers claim that realism about dark matter in cosmology is unwarranted because there has been no empirical confirmation of a dark matter particle. This demand is misguided. I argue that we should take the theoretical concept of dark matter as described in our best cosmological mod...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Synthese Vol. 204; no. 3; pp. 1 - 19
Autor principal: Vaynberg, Eugene
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Sep2024
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:A number of philosophers claim that realism about dark matter in cosmology is unwarranted because there has been no empirical confirmation of a dark matter particle. This demand is misguided. I argue that we should take the theoretical concept of dark matter as described in our best cosmological model (ΛCDM) at face value. Since there is no theoretical or nomological requirement that dark matter be a particle, we should better assess the implications of dark matter detection via gravitational lensing. The result is that realism about dark matter is a viable position.