Direct and indirect empirical statuses compared to the Newtonian and Leibnizian interpretations of theoretical symmetries in physics

Abstract

The study of the ontology of theoretical symmetries in physics has long being the question of choice between the usual Newtonian and Leibnizian interpretations. These were saying respectively that a theoretical symmetry corresponds to unobservable changes or is a mere mathematical surplus. But recently the notions of direct empirical status and indirect empirical status were introduced in addition. DES is usually defined as a status that a theoretical symmetry has when it is matched with an empirical symmetry in the world. IES is usually described as an empirical status opposed to DES and exemplified by the fact for theoretical symmetries to entail conservation laws via Noether's theorems. In this contribution I provide a framework for thinking of the ontology of theoretical symmetries in terms of their components, describe with its help the usual Newtonian and Leibnizian interpretations of theoretical symmetries, compare with them the ontological significance bestowed on theoretical symmetries by DES and IES, and generalise these empirical statuses further. I also pay a particular attention to whether global/local distinctions matter to any of the ontological interpretations and statuses considered, and the conclusion is that they do not.

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References found in this work

Empirical Consequences of Symmetries.David Wallace & Hilary Greaves - 2014 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 65 (1):59-89.
Laws and meta-laws of nature: Conservation laws and symmetries.Marc Lange - 2007 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 38 (3):457-481.
Are gauge symmetry transformations observable?Katherine Brading & Harvey R. Brown - 2004 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 55 (4):645-665.
Laws and Meta-Laws of Nature.Marc Lange - 2007 - The Harvard Review of Philosophy 15 (1):21-36.
Perfect symmetries.Richard Healey - 2009 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 60 (4):697-720.

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