Symmetries and Representation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4079609 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Geoffrey Hall (0009-0008-2297-3272, Independent Scholar Boone North Carolina USA), Sebastián Murgueitio Ramírez (0000-0003-0035-0150, Purdue University West Lafayette, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2024-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophy Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/phc3.12971 |
| OpenAlex | W4392918852 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 46 |
It is often said in physics that if two models of a theory are related by a symmetry, then the two models provide (or could provide) two different representations of the very same situation, alike the case of two maps of different color for the very same city. It is also said that the situations represented by two models of a theory are indiscernible in some ways when the models in question are related by a symmetry of the theory, just like the situation in the interior of the cabin of a train when the train is at rest in the station is empirically indiscernible from the situation in the interior when the train is moving uniformly (in classical mechanics, these two situations are represented by two models related by a boost). In recent years, philosophers of physics have focused a lot of attention in developing various principles that aim to elucidate these and similar remarks on symmetries, models, physical equivalence, and representation that are widespread in physics practice. The goal of the current article is to provide a critical review of these principles, and suggest a new framework for thinking about these kinds of questions. One important upshot of the paper is that questions of indiscernibility, and questions of the representational capacity of models, must be distinguished from one another
Compass · Epistemology · Equivalence (formal languages · Geometry · Homogeneous space · Physics · Pure mathematics · Quantum mechanics · Representation (politics · Symmetry (geometry · Theoretical physics · Computer Science · Mathematics · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Quantum Mechanics and Applications · Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Idealization and the Aims of Science
Putnam's paradox
New work for a theory of universals
The Dappled World
What Are Symmetries
What theoretical equivalence could not be
Gauging the boundary in field-space
Redundant epistemic symmetries
Symmetries and the philosophy of language
Language, Mind, and Knowledge
Invariance or equivalence
Are models our tools not our masters
Arguments from scientific practice in the debate about the physical equivalence of symmetry-related models
Isolated systems and their symmetries, part I
The Representational Role of Sophisticated Theories
On Symmetries and Springs
Galileo’s Gauge
Symmetry as an Epistemic Notion (Twice Over)
Empirical Consequences of Symmetries
Symmetry, Empirical Equivalence, and Identity
Regarding the ‘Hole Argument’
Sophistication about Symmetries
Are Gauge Symmetry Transformations Observable
Perfect Symmetries
A Puzzle Concerning Local Symmetries and Their Empirical Significance
A Puzzle about Laws, Symmetries and Measurability
Symmetry and the Metaphysics of Physics
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |