Fletcher, Samuel C. (2018) On Representational Capacities, with an Application to General Relativity. Foundations of Physics, 50 (4). pp. 228-249. ISSN 0015-9018
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Abstract
Recent work on the hole argument in general relativity by Weatherall (2016b) has drawn attention to the neglected concept of (mathematical) models' representational capacities. I argue for several theses about the structure of these capacities, including that they should be understood not as many-to-one relations from models to the world, but in general as many-to-many relations constrained by the models' isomorphisms. I then compare these ideas with a recent argument by Belot (2017) for the claim that some isometries "generate new possibilities" in general relativity. Philosophical orthodoxy, by contrast, denies this. Properly understanding the role of representational capacities, I argue, reveals how Belot’s rejection of orthodoxy does not go far enough, and makes better sense of our practices in theorizing about spacetime.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | This is a postprint version, i.e., pre-copyediting. Final version published in 2020. | ||||||
| Keywords: | Representation, Isomorphism, Hole Argument, General Relativity | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Depositing User: | Prof. Samuel C. Fletcher | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 26 May 2020 22:48 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 26 May 2020 22:48 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 17231 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Foundations of Physics | ||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.1007/ s10701-018-0208-6 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory |
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| Date: | 14 February 2018 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 228-249 | ||||||
| Volume: | 50 | ||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||
| ISSN: | 0015-9018 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/17231 |
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