عنوان

Why trust a theory? :

(Number (ISBN

1108671225

(Number (ISBN

9781108671224

Erroneous ISBN

1108470955

Erroneous ISBN

9781108470957

Title Proper

Why trust a theory? :

General Material Designation

[Book]

Other Title Information

epistemology of fundamental physics /

First Statement of Responsibility

edited by Richard Dawid (Stockholms Universitet), Karim Thebault (University of Bristol), Radin Dardashti (Bergische Universitat-Gesamthochschule Wuppertal, Germany).

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

New York, NY :

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Cambridge University Press,

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2019.

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

1 online resource

Text of Note

Introduction -- Historical and conceptual background. Fundamental theories and epistemic shifts : can history of science serve as a guide? -- Scientific speculation : a pragmatic approach -- Assessing scientific theories -- Philosophy of science and the string wars : a view from the outside -- Theory assessment beyond empirical confirmation. The significance of non-empirical confirmation in fundamental physics -- The dangers of non-empirical confirmation -- No alternative to proliferation -- Physics without experiments? -- Scientific methodology : a view from early string theory -- What can we learn from analogue experiments? -- Are black holes about information? -- Cosmology and testability. The limits of cosmology -- The role of cosmology in modern physics -- Theory confirmation and multiverses -- Beyond falsifiability : normal science in a multiverse -- Gaining access to the early universe -- Prospects for confirmation in string theory. String theory to the rescue -- Why trust a theory? Some further remarks -- The dangerous irrelevance of string theory -- String/M-theories about our world are testable in the traditional physics way -- Is string phenomenology an oxymoron?

0

Text of Note

Do we need to reconsider scientific methodology in light of modern physics? Has the traditional scientific method become outdated, does it need to be defended against dangerous incursions, or has it always been different from what the canonical view suggests? To what extent should we accept non-empirical strategies for scientific theory assessment? Many core aspects of contemporary fundamental physics are far from empirically well-confirmed. There is controversy on the epistemic status of the corresponding theories, in particular cosmic inflation, the multiverse, and string theory. This collection of essays is based on the high profile workshop 'Why Trust a Theory?' and provides interdisciplinary perspectives on empirical testing in fundamental physics from leading physicists, philosophers and historians of science. Integrating different contemporary and historical positions, it will be of interest to philosophers of science and physicists, as well as anyone interested in the foundations of contemporary science.

Title

Why trust a theory?

International Standard Book Number

9781108470957

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physics-- Methodology.

Science-- Methodology.

Knowledge, Theory of.

Physics-- Methodology.

Science-- Methodology.

Number

Edition

Class number

Book number

Dardashti, Radin,1983-

Dawid, Richard,1966-

Thebault, Karim

Date of Transaction

20200822151404.0

Cataloguing Rules (Descriptive Conventions))

pn

Electronic name

[Book]

Y