String theory and general methodology: a mutual evaluation

DOI10.1016/J.SHPSB.2011.06.004MaRDI QIDQ426019zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Lars-Göran Johansson, Keizo Matsubara

Publication date 10 June 2012

Published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. Part B. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3160

zbMATH Keywords

string theorynaturalismgeneral methodologynorms for theory choicerealism/antirealism

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) String and superstring theories; other extended objects (e.g., branes) in quantum field theory (81T30)

Abstract: String theory has been the dominating research field in theoretical physics during the last decades. Despite the considerable time elapse, no new testable predictions have been derived by string theorists and it is understandable that doubts have been voiced. Some people have argued that it is time to give up since testability is wanting. But the majority has not been convinced and they continue to believe that string theory is the right way to go. This situation is interesting for philosophy of science since it highligts several of our central issues. In this paper we will discuss string theory from a number of different perspectives in general methodology. We will also relate the realism/antirealism debate to the current status of string theory. Our goal is two-fold; both to take a look at string theory from philosophical perspectives and to use string theory as a test case for some philosophical issues.

Recommendations

• String theory, non-empirical theory assessment, and the context of pursuit
• String and M-theory: Answering the critics
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1163031
• General-covariant approach to relativistic string theory.
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1735937
• String theory as a theory of quantum gravity: a status report
• String theory
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1735165
• String theory

Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6010380 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2130770 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3136643 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5081819 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4005056 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1354820 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1530437 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2114370 (Why is no real title available?)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 839089 (Why is no real title available?)
• De Sitter vacua in string theory
• Dirichlet Branes and Ramond-Ramond Charges
• Not even wrong. The failure of string theory and the search for unity in physical law.
• String Theory
• String theory dynamics in various dimensions
• The quantum vacuum and the cosmological constant problem
• The trouble with physics. The rise of string theory, the fall of a science and what comes next.

Cited in

(9)

• The role of heuristic appraisal in conflicting assessments of string theory
• Spacetime and physical equivalence
• String theory, non-empirical theory assessment, and the context of pursuit
• On miracles and spacetime
• Doubts for Dawid's non-empirical theory assessment
• Mirror symmetry and other miracles in superstring theory
• STRING THEORY, THE CRISIS IN PARTICLE PHYSICS AND THE ASCENT OF METAPHORIC ARGUMENTS
• Early string theory as a challenging case study for philosophers
• From a boson to the standard model Higgs: a case study in confirmation and model dynamics

This page was built for publication: String theory and general methodology: a mutual evaluation

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q426019)