Oxford University Press eBooks· 2014· Book chapter
The Structure of the World
- 362citations
- 2014year
Short summary
This book defends and elaborates the view that the world is fundamentally structure, a concept known as Ontic Structural Realism.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The book's central thesis is that the world is best understood as structure.
- It revives and elaborates the philosophical position of Ontic Structural Realism.
- The argument is supported by insights from modern physics and contemporary metaphysics.
- Physical laws and symmetries, interpreted modally, are presented as the key to understanding this structure.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The book seeks to defend and elaborate a view of the world as structure. This has come to be known as ‘Ontic Structural Realism’ and it has a long but largely forgotten history, some of which is drawn upon here. The aim is not just to show how this view can be motivated by modern physics but also to articulate it philosophically, by drawing on the resources offered by current metaphysics. It is argued that the nature of this structure is presented via the laws and symmetries of physics and that these should be understood as modally informed.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Oxford University Press eBooks, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: History and Philosophy of Science
History and Philosophy of ScienceArts and Humanities