How to Be Humean about Symmetries

Toby Friend

doi:10.1086/716924

How to Be Humean about Symmetries

Toby Friend

Philosophy

University at Buffalo

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

I describe three extant attempts to identify global external symmetries within a Humean framework with theorems of some or other deductive systematization of the world: the best system, a best meta-system, and a maximally simple system. Each has merits, but also serious flaws. Instead, I propose a view of global external symmetries as consequences of the structure of Humean-consistent world-making relations.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	971-992
Number of pages	22
Journal	British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Volume	75
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/716924
State	Published - Dec 2024

Access to Document

10.1086/716924

Cite this

@article{f5ce22741075469a8f774026e0a72ba6,

title = "How to Be Humean about Symmetries",

abstract = "I describe three extant attempts to identify global external symmetries within a Humean framework with theorems of some or other deductive systematization of the world: the best system, a best meta-system, and a maximally simple system. Each has merits, but also serious flaws. Instead, I propose a view of global external symmetries as consequences of the structure of Humean-consistent world-making relations.",

author = "Toby Friend",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024, The British Society for the Philosophy of Science. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-commercial reuse of the work with attribution. For commercial use, contact [email protected].",

year = "2024",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1086/716924",

language = "English",

volume = "75",

pages = "971--992",

journal = "British Journal for the Philosophy of Science",

issn = "0007-0882",

publisher = "University of Chicago Press",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - How to Be Humean about Symmetries

AU - Friend, Toby

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The British Society for the Philosophy of Science. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits non-commercial reuse of the work with attribution. For commercial use, contact [email protected].

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - I describe three extant attempts to identify global external symmetries within a Humean framework with theorems of some or other deductive systematization of the world: the best system, a best meta-system, and a maximally simple system. Each has merits, but also serious flaws. Instead, I propose a view of global external symmetries as consequences of the structure of Humean-consistent world-making relations.

AB - I describe three extant attempts to identify global external symmetries within a Humean framework with theorems of some or other deductive systematization of the world: the best system, a best meta-system, and a maximally simple system. Each has merits, but also serious flaws. Instead, I propose a view of global external symmetries as consequences of the structure of Humean-consistent world-making relations.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105011162200

U2 - 10.1086/716924

DO - 10.1086/716924

M3 - Article

SN - 0007-0882

VL - 75

SP - 971

EP - 992

JO - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

JF - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science

IS - 4

ER -

How to Be Humean about Symmetries

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this