The structure of the world : metaphysics and representation / Steven French.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

French, Steven, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Metaphysics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (413 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Steven French articulates and defends the bold claim that there are no objects in the world. He draws on metaphysics and philosophy of science to argue for structural realism - the position that we live in a world of structures - and defends a form of eliminativism about objects that sets laws and symmetry principles at the heart of ontology.

Contents:

""Cover""; ""The Structure of the World: Metaphysics and Representation""; ""Copyright""; ""Preface""; ""Contents""; ""1: Theory Change: From Fresnel�s Equations to Group-Theoretic Structure""; ""1.1 Introduction""; ""1.2 Challenge No. 1: The Pessimistic Meta-Induction (PMI)""; ""1.3 Semi-Realism and Property-Oriented Realism""; ""1.4 ESR and �Hidden� Natures""; ""1.5 Another Case Study: the Zeeman Effect""; ""1.6 Quantum Mechanics and Heuristic Plasticity""; ""2: Mixing in the Metaphysics 1: Underdetermination""; ""2.1 Introduction""; ""2.2 Challenge Number 2: Underdetermination""

""2.3 Breaking the Underdetermination1: Appeal to Metaphysics""""2.4 Breaking the Underdetermination2: Appeal to Heuristic Fruitfulness""; ""2.5 Breaking the Underdetermination3: Appeal to Less Structure""; ""2.6 Breaking the Underdetermination4: Appeal to the More 'Natural� Formulation""; ""2.7 Metaphysical Underdetermination""; ""2.8 Breaking the Underdetermination5: �Weak� Discernibility""; ""2.9 Breaking the Underdetermination6: Non-Individuality and QFT""; ""2.10 Don�t Break It: Embrace It""; ""2.11 Don�t Break It: Seek the Commonalities""; ""2.12 Concluding Remarks""

""3: Mixing in the Metaphysics 2: Humility""""3.1 Introduction""; ""3.2 The Viking Approach to Metaphysics""; ""3.3 The Informing of Metaphysics by Physics""; ""3.4 Handling Humility""; ""3.5 Gaining Understanding while Reducing Humility""; ""3.6 Manifestations of Humility in the Realism Debate""; ""4: Scenes from the Lost History of Structuralism""; ""4.1 Introduction""; ""4.2 The Poincare� Manoeuvre""; ""4.3 The Analysis of Matter""; ""4.4 Wigner, Weyl, and the Application of Group Theory to Quantum Statistics""; ""4.5 Eddington�s Subjective Structuralism""

""4.6 Scribbling on the Blank Sheet""""4.7 The Battle with Braithwaite""; ""4.8 Cassirer�s Kantianism""; ""4.9 From Kant to neo-Kantianism""; ""4.10 Space-time, Structures, and Group Theory""; ""4.11 Quantum Mechanics, Causality, and Objects""; ""4.12 What We Can Take from Cassirer""; ""4.13 Conclusion""; ""5: The Presentation of Objects and the Representation of Structure""; ""5.1 Introduction: Presentation vs Representation""; ""5.2 Modes of Representation: Partial Structures""; ""5.3 Modes of Representation: Shared Structure""; ""5.4 Modes of Presentation: Group Theory""

""5.5 Spin and Structural Realism""""5.6 Set Theory as Cleaver""; ""5.7 Presentation of Objects and Properties via Shared Structure""; ""5.8 Doing Useful Work""; ""5.9 Modes of Representation: the Ramsey Sentence""; ""5.10 Realism, Reference, and Representation""; ""5.11 Models, Mediation, and Transparency""; ""5.12 Modes of Representation: Morphisms""; ""5.13 Modes of Representation: Structure as Primitive""; ""5.14 Conclusion: Presentation and Representation""; ""6: OSR and �Group Structural Realism�""; ""6.1 Introduction""; ""6.2 Concern 1: Toppling the Tower of Automorphism""

""6.3 Concern 2: From Group Structure to Dynamical Structure""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-877666-7

0-19-150772-5

OCLC:

922972764