Dewar, Neil (2016) Sophistication about symmetries. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Suppose that one thinks that certain symmetries of a theory reveal “surplus structure”. What would a formalism without that surplus structure look like? The conventional answer is that it would be a reduced theory: a theory which traffics only in structures invariant under the relevant symmetry. In this paper, I argue that there is a neglected alternative: one can work with a sophisticated version of the theory, in which the symmetries act as isomorphisms.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Dewar, Neil neil.a.dewar@gmail.com
Keywords:	Symmetries Category theory Logic
Subjects:	General Issues > Reductionism/Holism Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Neil Dewar
Date Deposited:	18 Apr 2016 14:15
Last Modified:	18 Apr 2016 14:15
Item ID:	12047
Subjects:	General Issues > Reductionism/Holism Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	9 January 2016
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/12047

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• Sophistication about symmetries. (deposited 18 Apr 2016 14:15) [Currently Displayed]
  • Sophistication about symmetries. (deposited 11 Jul 2016 14:24)
    • Sophistication about symmetries. (deposited 08 Oct 2016 18:13)

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