Theoretical construction in physics – The role of Leibniz for Weyl's ‘Philosophie der Mathematik und Naturwissenschaft’ |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Laboratory of Wastewater Treatment, CERTE, BP 273, Soliman 8020, Tunisia;2. Center of Excellence in Desalination Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia;3. Laboratory of Valorisation of Materials, CNRSM, BP 95, Hammam-Lif 2050, Tunisia |
| |
Abstract: | This paper aims at closing a gap in recent Weyl research by investigating the role played by Leibniz for the development and consolidation of Weyl's notion of theoretical (symbolic) construction. For Weyl, just as for Leibniz, mathematics was not simply an accompanying tool when doing physics—for him it meant the ability to engage in well-guided speculations about a general framework of reality and experience. The paper first introduces some of the background of Weyl's notion of theoretical construction and then discusses particular Leibnizian inheritances in Weyl's ‘Philosophie der Mathematik und Naturwissenschaft’, such as the general appreciation of the principles of sufficient reason and of continuity. Afterwards the paper focuses on three themes: first, Leibniz's primary quality phenomenalism, which according to Weyl marked the decisive step in realizing that physical qualities are never apprehended directly; second, the conceptual relation between continuity and freedom; and third, Leibniz's notion of ‘expression’, which allows for a certain type of (surrogative) reasoning by structural analogy and which gave rise to Weyl's optimism regarding the scope of theoretical construction. |
| |
Keywords: | Theoretical construction Primary quality phenomenalism Expression (expressive relations) Principle of sufficient reason Continuity principle Concepts of matter Hermann Weyl G W Leibniz |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|