The Roots of Practical Realism and Metaphysics
The Roots of Practical Realism and Metaphysics

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the roots of the novel understanding of science that has been proposed by the Estonian philosopher of science and chemistry Rein Vihalemm and called practical realism by him. The analysis reveals an interesting intellectual journey that brought a philosopher who was educated in the Soviet Union in alignment with Marxism to quite different ideas of Martin Heidegger, a very popular philosopher in Eastern and Central Europe in the late 20th century. Strangely, studying Heidegger’s understanding of modern science helped Vihalemm to re-discover Marx from a new angle relevant from the perspective of the approach to science as a practical activity. The issue of the Kantian influences on practical realism is another focus of the article. Most importantly, the analysis connects to the attitude towards the role of metaphysics in science. Vihalemm accepts Kantianism in its sublated form calling metaphysics exhausted at the same time. The article aims to show that metaphysics still plays an important role in making sense of science, in part as an inherent component of science, and that it is premature to consider metaphysics exhausted.

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