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This book offers the first systematic review of the structuralism of physical theories. Particular emphasis is placed on the inclusion of empirical imprecision into formal reconstructions of theories. The proposed measure of imprecision allows for a topological comparison of theories. Considering the ongoing debates on the nature of the thermodynamic limit in statistical mechanics, as well as on limit relations between classical and quantum mechanics, the author asserts that the Bourbaki-style structuralism, together with E. Scheibe's theory of reduction, is the best choice for reconstructing and analyzing the related questions of reduction and emergence. Readers will appreciate the critical overview of the main positions in philosophy of science, examined with particular attention to their applicability to current problems of fundamental theories of physics.
List of contents
Introduction.- The Received View of theories.- From statements to structures.- From structures to statements.- Scheibe's hybrid structuralism.- On Scheibe's theory of reduction.- Conclusion: Views on scientific theories.
About the author
Johannes Mierau's academic background is in physics, in which he graduated
in 2014. He specialized in theoretical condensed matter physics
and went on to do a PhD in the field of philosophy of science,
with special emphasis on the philosophy of physics, under the
supervision of Prof. Dr. Dr. Brigitte Falkenburg at Technical
University of Dortmund. In his PhD-thesis, he applied Scheibe's
theory to show that the purported paradox of phase transitions, an
extensively discussed problem in philosophy of physics, is the
product of the disregard of the imprecise nature of the involved
physical theories.
Johannes Mierau is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher for the chair of
theoretical philosophy and philosophy of the social sciences at
Witten/Herdecke University.
