Physical Reality, Theoretical Physics, and Mathematics—15 Years Later
Physicists usually admit a rather naive concept of physical reality: it is the object they are investigating using experiments understood as actions in the real world. In theoretical physics, the object of investigation is not the real world itself but its mathematical description which is considere...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Estonian Association of the History and Philosophy of Science
2016-10-01
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| Series: | Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum |
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| Online Access: | http://www.bahps.org/05_Kuusk-2016-2-05.pdf |
| Summary: | Physicists usually admit a rather naive concept of physical reality: it is the object they are investigating using experiments understood as actions in the real world. In theoretical physics, the object of investigation is not the real world itself but its mathematical description which is considered as describing physical reality as exactly as possible. I present arguments from philosophy of science and from recent work in the theory of gravitational physics which indicate a possibility to defend also antirealistic views, and clarify in which sense both standpoints can be viable. |
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| ISSN: | 2228-2009 2228-2017 |