Dynamic and stochastic systems as a framework for metaphysics and the philosophy of science

List, Christian ORCID: 0000-0003-1627-800X (2019) Dynamic and stochastic systems as a framework for metaphysics and the philosophy of science. Synthese. ISSN 0039-7857

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Abstract

Scientists often think of the world (or some part of it) as a dynamical system, a stochastic process, or a generalization of such a system. Prominent examples of systems are (i) the system of planets orbiting the sun or any other classical mechanical system, (ii) a hydrogen atom or any other quantum–mechanical system, and (iii) the earth’s atmosphere or any other statistical mechanical system. We introduce a general and unified framework for describing such systems and show how it can be used to examine some familiar philosophical questions, including the following: how can we define nomological possibility, necessity, determinism, and indeterminism; what are symmetries and laws; what regularities must a system display to make scientific inference possible; how might principles of parsimony such as Occam’s Razor help when we make such inferences; what is the role of space and time in a system; and might they be emergent features? Our framework is intended to serve as a toolbox for the formal analysis of systems that is applicable in several areas of philosophy.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2019 The Author
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	01 May 2019 08:12
Last Modified:	16 Apr 2024 06:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/100542

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