Abstract
In this paper we have two aims: first, to draw attention to the close connexion between interpretation and scientific understanding; second, to give a detailed account of how theories without a spacetime can be interpreted, and so of how they can be understood. In order to do so, we of course need an account of what is meant by a theory ‘without a spacetime’: which we also provide in this paper. We describe three tools, used by physicists, aimed at constructing interpretations which are adequate for the goal of understanding. We analyse examples from high-energy physics illustrating how physicists use these tools to construct interpretations and thereby attain understanding. The examples are: the ’t Hooft approximation of gauge theories, random matrix models, causal sets, loop quantum gravity, and group field theory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 631-670 |
| Number of pages | 40 |
| Journal | European Journal for Philosophy of Science |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 21 May 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2018 |
Funding
Acknowledgements We thank Daniele Oriti for a helpful discussion of some of the materials contained in this paper. We also thank Jeremy Butterfield, Dennis Dieks, and two anonymous referees for comments on the draft. SDH thanks Silvia De Bianchi, Carl Hoefer, and the audience at the Department of Philosophy of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. SDH was supported by the Tarner scholarship in Philosophy of Science and History of Ideas, held at Trinity College, Cambridge.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Trinity College, University of Cambridge | |
| Universiteit van Amsterdam |
Keywords
- Interpretation
- Quantum gravity
- Scientific understanding
- Spacetime
- Visualisation