Unifying Scientific Theories: Physical Concepts and Mathematical Structures

by Margaret Morrison

Overview

This book is about the methods used for unifying different scientific theories under one all-embracing theory. The process has characterized much of the history of science and is prominent in contemporary physics; the search for a "theory of everything" involves the same attempt at unification. Margaret Morrison argues that, contrary to popular philosophical views, unification and explanation often have little to do with each other. The mechanisms that facilitate unification are not those that enable us to explain how or why phenomena behave as they do. The book emphasizes the importance of mathematical structures in unification, and claims that despite this common feature theory unification is a multi-faceted process for which no general account can be offered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521652162
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/28/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.94(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The many faces of unity; 2. Unification, realism and inference; 3. Maxwell's unification of electromagnetism and optics; 4. Gauges, symmetries and forces: the electroweak unification; 5. Special relativity and the unity of physics; 6. Darwin and natural selection: unification versus explanation; 7. Structural unity and the biological synthesis; Conclusions; Notes; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Unifying Scientific Theories offers an exemplar of the historical and philosophical breadth that are important and badly needed in philosophical attempts to understand the many faces of unity in science." Andrew Wayne, Canadian Journal of Philosophy

"I expect this book to have a truly significant impact on today's philosophy of science. My reasons are three: it is solidly grounded in the history of science, it addresses biology as well as the physical sciences, and it represents a tremendous challenge to much contemporary thinking about scientific explanation." Bas van Fraassen, author of The Scientific Image

"a sustained, informative, and thought-provoking"

From the Publisher