Structural Losses, Structural Realism and the Stability of Lie Algebras

0548829 - FLÚ 2023 RIV GB eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Manero Orozco, Jorge Alberto
Structural Losses, Structural Realism and the Stability of Lie Algebras.
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. -, č. 91 (2022), s. 28-40. ISSN 0039-3681. E-ISSN 1879-2510
Grant ostatní: AV ČR(CZ) AP1602
Program: Akademická prémie - Praemium Academiae
Institucionální podpora: RVO:67985955
Klíčová slova: Lie algebra Deformation theory * Partial structures * Structural losses * Structural realism * Theory change
Obor OECD: Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology
Impakt faktor: 1, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.11.003

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.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0328644