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Kinematical Equivalence and Cosmic Conspiracies

Jacobs, Caspar and March, Eleanor (2025) Kinematical Equivalence and Cosmic Conspiracies. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Discussions of theoretical equivalence typically only concern a theory's dynamically possible models. Recently, however, March (2024) has shown that a theory's kinematically possible models are also relevant to questions of theoretical equivalence. We apply March's notion of kinematic equivalence to the difference between reduced and sophisticated theories introduced by Dewar (2019). Although Dewar claims that these are equivalent, Jacobs (2024) has argued that only sophisticated theories can explain what are otherwise 'cosmic conspiracies'. We show that this is a consequence of reduced and sophisticated theories' kinematical inequivalence. Furthermore, we use Caulton's (2024) 'downwards Hume's dictum' to show that kinematically inequivalent are also ontologically inequivalent.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Jacobs, Casparc.a.jacobs@phil.leidenuniv.nl0000-0001-6903-0468
March, Eleanoreleanor.march@balliol.ox.ac.uk
Keywords: kinematics, dynamics, reduction, sophistication, symmetries, equivalence
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User: Caspar Jacobs
Date Deposited: 18 Sep 2025 12:44
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2025 12:44
Item ID: 26695
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date: 2025
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26695

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