APSE TALK: Jeremy Butterfield | Emergent Ontology and Structural
Realism: Quantities as Objects and Objects as Quantities
Applied Philosophy of Science and Epistomology Talk Series
A series of talks organized by APSE (Department of Philosophy). More
information here: apse.univie.ac.at/news-events/apse-talks/
Date: 07/03/2024
Time: 15h00
Venue: New Institute Building (NIG), Universitätsstraße 7, 1010 Wien,
HS 3A
Abstract: I argue that physics' endemic practice of solving problems by
defining appropriate quantities suggests a natural formulation of two
philosophical doctrines, viz. (i) the claim that the objects of the
special sciences (and of everyday life) are patterns, and (ii) ontic
structural realism. For physics' focus on its appropriate quantities
suggests treating quantities as objects: which gives a formulation of
the idea of objects as patterns. And it also suggests treating objects
as quantities: which gives a formulation of ontic structural realism. My
discussion owes much to work by David Wallace.
All are welcome!