Erhard Scheibe's Structuralism: Roots and Prospects

This book provides a systematic review of structuralism in physical theories, focusing on the inclusion of empirical imprecision and offering a measure of imprecision for comparing theories. It advocates for Bourbaki-style structuralism and E. Scheibe's theory of reduction in reconstructing and analyzing reduction and emergence questions in fundamental physics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 178 pages
Publication date: 21 April 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This comprehensive book provides a thorough examination of the structuralism of physical theories, with a special focus on incorporating empirical imprecision into formal reconstructions. By proposing a measure of imprecision, the author enables a topological comparison of theories, addressing ongoing debates on the thermodynamic limit in statistical mechanics and the relationship between classical and quantum mechanics. The author argues that the Bourbaki-style structuralism, coupled with E. Scheibe's theory of reduction, offers the most effective approach for reconstructing and analyzing these related questions of reduction and emergence. Readers will benefit from a critical overview of the major positions in philosophy of science, carefully evaluated in terms of their relevance to contemporary challenges in fundamental physics.

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.

Weight: 448g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031253461
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023