This is a reminder for:
Title: Karim Thebault
The Underdetermined Ontology of Classical Physics: Realism, Structural
Realism and Pragmatism
The formal foundations of modern physics are undoubtedly to be found within
the mathematical structure of classical analytical mechanics. In particular
the Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formalisms, appropriately adjusted to take
account of fields, are the basis upon which quantum field theory (which
describes three of the fundamental forces of nature) and general relativity
(which describes the other) are defined. The bipartite nature of the
analytical framework can be argued to lead to an underdetermination problem
in the interpretation of physical theory. Since in many cases the two
formalisms are both empirically indistinguishable and naturally associated
with distinct ontologies, there is a perceived requirement that the realist
about scientific theory must find means to break this underdetermination by
appeal to one or more of the usual suspects for external adjudication
criteria (e.g. structural parsimony, heuristic fruitfulness, `physics free
metaphysics'). I discuss the respective benefits of structural realism and
pragmatism as alternative ontological altitudes that council against
breaking the underdetermination.
When: Mon 2 May 13:00 – 14:30 Eastern Time - Melbourne, Sydney
Where: University of Sydney philosophy common room
Calendar: Current Projects
Who:
* [email protected] creator
Event details:
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