Abstract

There is a widespread belief among philosophers of science that the dispute about realism does not significantly affect the practice of natural sciences, and that a realistic attitude is a common epistemological position adopted by naturalists. In this paper an argument is brought forward to support the thesis that theoretical concepts formulated in the natural sciences evoke significant cognitive controversies among scientists, having an impact on their scientific practices. Gaston Bachelard’s thesis will be considered, according to which the realistic ‘load’ of the conceptual apparatus in any given science has a significant impact on its development. The investigation conducted in this paper will be based on the analysis of examples taken from the research practice of nineteenth century and early twentieth century chemistry. The problem to be discussed here deals with the cognitive status of beliefs about the existence of the referents of such concepts as: atom (chemical atom), structural formula (rational formula) and chemical bond.