Realism in the age of string theory
| Abstract | String theory currently is the only viable candidate for a unified description of all known natural forces. This article tries to demonstrate that the fundamental structural and methodological differences that set string theory apart from other physical theories have important philosophical consequences. Focussing on implications for the realism debate in philosophy of science, it is argued that both poles of that debate become untenable in the context of string theory. On one side the claim of underdetermination of scientific theories, which represents a pivotal element of empiricism, looses its appeal. On the other side the dissolution of any meaningful notion of an external ontological object destroys the basis for conventional versions of scientific realism. String theory seems to suggest an intermediate position akin to Structural Realism that is based on a newly emerging principle, to be called the principle of theoretical uniqueness. An appreciation of string theory’s considerable impact on basic conceptions of philosophy of science can also contribute to a clearer picture of string theory’s status and relevance in a scientific context. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
  Try with proxy. |
| Through your library | Only published papers are available at libraries |
Similar books and articlesWilliam Egginton (2007). The Philosopher's Desire: Psychoanalysis, Interpretation, and Truth. Stanford University Press.
Richard Dawid (2009). On the Conflicting Assessments of the Current Status of String Theory. Philosophy of Science 76 (5).
Reiner Hedrich (2007). The Internal and External Problems of String Theory: A Philosophical View. Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 38 (2):261 - 278.
Reiner Hedrich (2007). The Internal and External Problems of String Theory: A Philosophical View. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 38 (2):261 - 278.
Robert Weingard (1988). A Philosopher Looks at String Theory. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1988:95 - 106.
Keizo Matsubara (2013). Realism, Underdetermination and String Theory Dualities. Synthese 190 (3):471-489.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads21 ( #58,767 of 549,113 )Recent downloads (6 months)3 ( #25,740 of 549,113 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
