Symmetries are isomorphisms

Philosophy of Science Colloquium
The Institute Vienna Circle holds a Philosophy of Science Colloquium with talks by our present fellows.

Date: 22/06/2023

Time: 15h00

This talk is going to be a hybrid event, in-person at NIG (SR 2i) and can be followed via online Plattform.

Online Plattform:

Access:

univienna.zoom.us/j/63035484129

Passcode: 226427

No registered accounts are required, it's enough to click on the link and enter your name. Chrome or Firefox browsers work best.

Abstract:

Symmetries and isomorphisms play similar conceptual roles when we consider how models represent physical situations, but they are formally distinct. That is, two models related by symmetries are not necessarily isomorphic. I aim at offering a new and rigorous category-theoretical framework in which symmetries are reduced to isomorphisms between models, building on Wallace, Weatherall, Dewar, and others' work, as well as evaluating its philosophical significance. The models I will consider include traditional spacetime models (with electromagnetism as the primary example) as well as novel algebraic models that dispense with a spacetime manifold.