Symbol and Physical Knowledge

On the Conceptual Structure of Physics

Inbunden, Engelska, 2001

536 kr

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Beskrivning

This book tackles the question of the symbolic structure of physics, a topic which is implicit in any theory of knowledge, but one that often seems to be ignored as an explicit and central element in today's epistemological debates. The elucidation of this problem should benefit a number of ongoing discussions and can help to avoid much recurring confusion. The contributions to the book have been chosen so as to provide a coherent view, ultimately addressing the relation between the concepts used in science and the real world. The first part provides an introduction to the problem as it arises in physics, and to the modern history of symbols. The subject of the second part is the epistemological discussion taking place between physicists and philosophers about the role of symbols in our knowledge of Nature. The third part addresses key issues related to the methodology of physics and the character of its symbolic structures. The aim of this book is to provide a consistent,

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2001-08-28
Mått:155 x 235 x 19 mm
Vikt:541 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:230
Upplaga:2002
Förlag:Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
ISBN:9783540414674

Utforska kategorier

Fysik inom Naturvetenskap och teknik

Recensioner i media

"The book has the important merit of calling our attention to the fundamental problem of sorting out what in physical theories comes from ourselves (the a priori, symbolic, conventional part) and what comes from nature, a question that we are far from having definitely solved." (International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 17/1, 2003)

Innehållsförteckning

1. Sources for the History of the Concept of Symbol from Leibniz to Cassirer.- 2. On the Use and Character of Symbols in Modern Physical Theories.- 3. The Symbol in the Theory of Science: Duhem’s Alleged Instrumentalism or Conventionalism and the Continuity of Scientific Development.- 4. Beyond Realism. Symbolism in the Philosophy of Science by Charles S. Peirce and Ernst Cassirer.- 5. Heinrich Hertz and the Concept of a Symbol.- 6. Shifting Symbolic Structures and Changing Theories: On the Non-Translatability and Empirical Comparability of Incommensurable Theories.- 7. Symbol and Intuition in Modern Physics.- 8. Idealizations in Physics.- 9. Symbolizing States and Events in Quantum Mechanics.- 10. The Semiotics of “Postmodern” Physics.