Structural Losses, Structural Realism and the Stability of Lie Algebras

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985955%3A_____%2F22%3A00548829" target="_blank" >RIV/67985955:_____/22:00548829 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.003" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.003</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.003" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.003</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Structural Losses, Structural Realism and the Stability of Lie Algebras

Original language description

One of the key assumptions associated with structural realism is the claim that successful scientific theories approximately preserve their structurally based content as they are progressively developed and that this content alone can explain their relevant predictions. The precise way in which these theories are preserved is not trivial but, according to this realist thesis, any kind of structural loss should not occur among theoretical transitions. Although group theory has been proven effective in accounting for preserved structures in the context of physics, structural realists are confronted with the fact that even group-theoretic structures are not immune to these structural discontinuities. Under such circumstances, my contribution consists in a two-fold task. Firstly, I will establish a general condition at the level of the group-theoretic structure to avoid the pessimistic induction argument by appealing to Lie algebra deformation and stability theory. Secondly, I will provide a case study associated with quantum-relativistic kinematics to demonstrate that this condition is actually satisfied. Specifically, through this case study I will support the claim that if the full Lie algebras of our current successful theories are stable, it is possible to disregard any kind of structural loss in the future and explain the relevant successful predictions in a way that we can support structural realism accordingly.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60301 - Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science

ISSN

0039-3681

e-ISSN

1879-2510

Volume of the periodical

—

Issue of the periodical within the volume

91

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

13

Pages from-to

28-40

UT code for WoS article

000744244700003

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85119509598