Scerri, Eric and Pizzochero, Michele (2025) Structural Realism in Chemistry: The Periodic System of the Elements. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Structural realism is the view that science provides knowledge of the relational patterns of the world, rather than the individual entities populating it. While widely applied in physics, its applications in chemistry have hitherto been scarce. Here, we examine the periodic system of the elements through the lens of structural realism, drawing from the history, philosophy, and practice of chemistry. First, we argue that Mendeleev’s structuralist approach—emphasizing the relations between atomic weights of elements as abstract entities—was key to the development of the periodic system. Second, we argue that the periodic system has to be regarded as real, in that it represents a predictively successful structure that has remained intact through changes in the atomic theory. Third, we argue that a structural realist perspective can offer a guiding principle to adjudicate between competing proposals of the periodic table. Overall, our work demonstrates that chemistry is a promising domain for structural realism to thrive.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Scientific realism, Structural Realism, Chemistry, Periodic System, Mendeleev, Paneth | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Natural Kinds Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Depositing User: | Eric Scerri | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 25 Oct 2025 14:12 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 25 Oct 2025 14:12 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 27025 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > History of Science Case Studies General Issues > Natural Kinds Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Realism/Anti-realism General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Date: | 2025 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27025 |
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