Castellani, Elena and Margoni, Emilia (2022) Renormalization Group Methods: What Explanation? [Preprint]
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Abstract
Renormalization and Renormalization Group (RG) have proven to be very powerful tools in contemporary physics, with a decisive influence on how to conceive of key physical
aspects, including theories themselves. While they can be tackled from a variety of standpoints, this paper focuses on a peculiar philosophical issue, i.e. the nature of explanations based on RG methods. After a short, historical overview to set out the physical context, we scrutinize recent debates on the topic, with a specific focus on Margaret Morrison's seminal work. With respect to Morrison's account, where RG explanation is portrayed as mathematical, non-reductive, and non-causal, our argument is twofold. First, we argue that RG theory's explanatory role cannot reside exclusively in its mathematical character, independently from a physical interpretation. Second, we more generally question the explanatory role of RG methods due to their effective nature.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Renormalization group, E�ective theories, Critical phenomena, Non-causal explanation, Mathematical explanation | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Emilia Margoni | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 25 Mar 2022 04:25 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 25 Mar 2022 04:25 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 20372 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Condensed Matter General Issues > Explanation Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics |
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| Date: | 20 March 2022 | |||||||||
| URI: | http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20372 |
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