Wolf, William J. and Read, James (2026) Navigating permanent underdetermination in dark energy and inflationary cosmology. [Preprint]
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Abstract
We identify troubling cases of so-called `permanent underdetermination' in both dark energy and inflationary cosmology. We bring to bear (a) a taxonomy of possible responses to underdetermination, and (b) an understanding of both dark energy and inflationary cosmology from an effective field theory point of view. We argue that, under certain conditions, there are viable responses which can arguably alleviate at least some of the concerns about underdetermination in the dark energy and inflationary sectors. However, the epistemic threat of permanent underdetermination remains a significant challenge.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | Updated version. Accepted in Philosophy of Physics. | |||||||||
| Keywords: | Cosmology, Underdetermination, Permanent Underdetermintion, Dark Energy, Inflation | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. William Wolf | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 24 Jan 2026 19:36 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 24 Jan 2026 19:36 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 27987 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Cosmology General Issues > Philosophers of Science Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Date: | 23 January 2026 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27987 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Navigating permanent underdetermination in dark energy and inflationary cosmology. (deposited 23 Jan 2025 14:19)
- Navigating permanent underdetermination in dark energy and inflationary cosmology. (deposited 24 Jan 2026 19:36) [Currently Displayed]
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