Laws and symmetry

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Laws and symmetry

Bas C. van Fraassen

Clarendon Press , Oxford University Press, 1989

  • : pbk

Available at  / 30 libraries

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Note

Bibliography: p. [374]-385

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9780198248118

Description

This treatise presents an argument that no metaphysical account of laws can succeed. The author analyzes and rejects the arguments that there are laws of nature, or that we must believe that there are. He argues that we should discard the idea of law as an inadequate clue to science. After exploring what this means for general epistemology, the book develops the empiricist view of science as a construction of models to represent this phenomena. The text explores concepts of symmetry, transformation and invariance to illuminate the structure of such models. A central role is played in science by symmetry arguments, and it is shown how these function also in the philosophical analysis of probability.

Table of Contents

  • Part 1 Are there laws of nature?: what are laws of nature?
  • ideal science - David Lewis' account of laws
  • necessity, worlds and chance
  • universals - laws grounded in nature. Part 2 Belief as rational but lawless: inference to the best explanation - salvation by laws?
  • towards a new epistemology
  • what if there are no laws? - a manifesto. Part 3 Symmetry as guide to theory: introduction to the semantic approach
  • symmetry arguments in science and metaphysics
  • symmetries guiding modern science. Part 4 Symmetry and the illusion of logical probability: indifference - the symmetries of probability
  • symmetries of probability kinematics.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780198248606

Description

Metaphysicians speak of laws of nature in terms of necessity and universality; scientists do so in terms of symmetry and invariance. This book argues that no metaphysical account of laws can succeed. The author analyses and rejects the arguments that there are laws of nature, or that we must believe that there are. He argues that we should discard the idea of law as an inadequate clue to science. After exploring what this means for general epistemology, the book develops the empiricist view of science as a construction of models to represent the phenomena. Concepts of symmetry, transformation, and invariance illuminate the structure of such models. A central role is played in science by symmetry arguments, and it is shown how these function also in the philosophical analysis of probability. The advocated approach presupposes no realism about laws or necessities in nature.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction Part I: Are there laws of nature?
  • What are the laws of nature?
  • Ideal science: David Lewis's account of laws
  • Necessity, worlds, and chance
  • Universals: Laws grounded in nature
  • Part II: Belief as rational but lawless: Inference to the best explanation: Salvation by Laws?
  • Towards a new epistemology
  • What if there are no laws? A manifesto
  • Part III: Symmetry as guide to theory: Introduction to the Semantic approach
  • Symmetry arguments in science and metaphysics
  • Symmetries guiding modern science
  • Part IV: Symmetry and the illusion of logical probability: Indifference: The symmetries of probability
  • Symmetries of probability kinematics
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index

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