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Principle or Constructive Relativity?

Frisch, Mathias (2010) Principle or Constructive Relativity? In: UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

I examine Harvey Brown’s account of relativity as dynamic and constructive theory and Michel Janssen recent criticism of it. By contrasting Einstein’s principle-constructive distinction with a related distinction by Lorentz, I argue that Einstein's distinction presents a false dichotomy. Appealing to Lorentz’s distinction, I argue that there is less of a disagreement between Brown and Janssen than appears initially and, hence, that Brown’s view presents less of a departure from orthodoxy than it may seem. Neither the kinematics-dynamics distinction nor Einstein’s principle- and constructive theory distinction ultimately capture their disagreement, which may instead be a disagreement about the role of modality in science and the explanatory force of putatively nomic constraints.


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Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Frisch, Mathias
Keywords: Special Relativity, Einstein, Lorentz, principle theories, constructive theories
Subjects: General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Depositing User: Mathias Frisch
Date Deposited: 01 Apr 2010
Last Modified: 07 Oct 2010 15:19
Item ID: 5243
Subjects: General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science
Specific Sciences > Physics > Relativity Theory
Date: 2010
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/5243

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