We Have Never Been Sophisticated
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866911684926373888 |
|---|---|
| author | Bradley, Clara Weatherall, James Owen |
| author_facet | Bradley, Clara Weatherall, James Owen |
| contents | Many philosophers of physics maintain that a physical theory that exhibits (certain kinds of) symmetries is flawed, on the grounds that such theories posit "excess structure". In an influential paper, Dewar [2019, "Sophistication about Symmetries", \emph{Brit. J. Phil. Sci.} \textbf{70}: 485-521] introduces a distinction between "reduction" and "sophistication" as alternative ways of removing excess structure. In this paper we re-examine the distinction as Dewar draws it, and we argue that there is no physically or philosophically important distinction between what Dewar calls "reduction" and what he calls "internal sophistication". We then argue that there are multiple notions of "reduction" in the literature that ought to be distinguished, both in motivation and in outcome. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_10549 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | We Have Never Been Sophisticated Bradley, Clara Weatherall, James Owen History and Philosophy of Physics Many philosophers of physics maintain that a physical theory that exhibits (certain kinds of) symmetries is flawed, on the grounds that such theories posit "excess structure". In an influential paper, Dewar [2019, "Sophistication about Symmetries", \emph{Brit. J. Phil. Sci.} \textbf{70}: 485-521] introduces a distinction between "reduction" and "sophistication" as alternative ways of removing excess structure. In this paper we re-examine the distinction as Dewar draws it, and we argue that there is no physically or philosophically important distinction between what Dewar calls "reduction" and what he calls "internal sophistication". We then argue that there are multiple notions of "reduction" in the literature that ought to be distinguished, both in motivation and in outcome. |
| title | We Have Never Been Sophisticated |
| topic | History and Philosophy of Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.10549 |