The Scale Revolution in Physics (2024 - 2027)

Abstract

The project aims to trace the historical origins and explore the philosophical implications of physicists’ new way of doing physics "scale by scale". The working hypothesis is twofold: (i) a fundamental shift in physics practice centered around the concept of scale took place from the 1950s to the 1970s in physicists' attempt to understand the structure of matter; (ii) this new practice underwrites a partial picture of the world structured in a complex hierarchy of largely independent levels. The research team will explore these hypotheses by taking some of the most successful scale-based theories and methods developed since the 1950s as case studies.

Project information

Project title
The Scale Revolution in Physics
Funded by
Initiative: Pioniervorhaben Exploration der VolkswagenStiftung
Link to project
-
Project duration
2024 - 2027
Funds awarded
-
Project team
Dr. Sébastien Rivat (principal investigator)
Associated Chair
Chair of Philosophy of Science