Part 1: Theoretical equivalence in physics

Philosophy Compass 14 (5):e12592 (2019)
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Abstract

I review the philosophical literature on the question of when two physical theories are equivalent. This includes a discussion of empirical equivalence, which is often taken to be necessary, and sometimes taken to be sufficient, for theoretical equivalence; and “interpretational” equivalence, which is the idea that two theories are equivalent just in case they have the same interpretation. It also includes a discussion of several formal notions of equivalence that have been considered in the recent philosophical literature, including (generalized) definitional equivalence and categorical equivalence. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the relationship between equivalence and duality. The article is in two parts; this is Part 1, which addresses empirical equivalence and definitional equivalence.

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original Weatherall, James Owen (2019) "Part 2: Theoretical equivalence in physics". Philosophy Compass 14(5):e12591

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James Weatherall
University of California, Irvine

Citations of this work

Some Philosophical Prehistory of the (Earman-Norton) hole argument.James Owen Weatherall - 2020 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 70:79-87.
The epistemology of spacetime.Neil Dewar, Niels Linnemann & James Read - 2021 - Philosophy Compass 17 (4):e12821.
On the Categoricity of Quantum Mechanics.Iulian D. Toader - 2021 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 11 (1):1-14.

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References found in this work

Psychophysical and theoretical identifications.David K. Lewis - 1972 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 50 (3):249-258.
How to define theoretical terms.David Lewis - 1970 - Journal of Philosophy 67 (13):427-446.
Theory and Evidence.Clark Glymour - 1980 - Ethics 93 (3):613-615.
Glymour and Quine on Theoretical Equivalence.Thomas William Barrett & Hans Halvorson - 2016 - Journal of Philosophical Logic 45 (5):467-483.

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