REMINDER -- CfP Synthese Topical Collection: "Simplicity out of Complexity? Physics and the Aims of Science"

[Florian J Boge]

*REMINDER*-- CfP/Synthese/Topical Collection: "Simplicity out of 
Complexity? Physics and the Aims of Science"


Call for Papers


Synthese Topical Collection on

Simplicity out of Complexity? Physics and the Aims of Science

*Deadline: 31 July 2020*


Guest Editors

Florian J. Boge (University of Wuppertal)

Paul Grünke (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)

Martin King (University of Bonn)

Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo (University of Wuppertal)


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    Description

The world we live in is notoriously complex: there is an outright zoo of 
material particles, a vast variety of different species, a whole 
plethora of stars and galaxies, and so forth. Yet many scientific 
achievements, such as the Standard Model of particle physics or Darwin’s 
theory of natural selection, allow us to manage part of this complexity 
by means of a simple set of laws or general rules.

Simplicityhas often been assumed to be an epistemic ideal, most clearly 
exemplified in physics, with its trend towards encompassing theories 
that feature only a small number of fundamental laws, capable of 
explaining a large number of diverse phenomena.

This view of science, with physics at the center stage, has arguably 
provided the dominant narrative in mainstream philosophy of science 
throughout the 20thcentury. Yet many questions arise when one zooms in 
on the details. For instance: in what sense can the laws of physics be 
said to be simple, when concrete computations based on them are  tedious 
or even impossible? How do notions of simplicity differ across the 
sciences, and what are their commonalities? Does the striving for 
simplification of perceived complexity imply an unjustifiedreductionism? 
Is simplicity really an epistemic ideal or just endorsed for pragmatic 
reasons, and maybe even an unreliable guide to truth? If so, what should 
it be replaced with?

The aim of this Topical Collection is to bring together contributions 
from different fields, such as (the philosophy of) physics, biology, 
economy, psychology, linguistics, or general philosophy of science. 
Topics may include but are not limited to:

• epistemic vs. practical: Is simplicity an epistemic goal of science or 
just a practical benefit? (Why) should theories aim for simplicity, or 
(why) not?

• physics vs. other sciences: Does the complexity of the world largely 
preclude simple science? Is complexity also an aim of the special 
sciences? Does contemporary physics really aim at simplicity?

• the concept of simplicity in science: What does it mean to be a 
‘simple’ theory? What is simplicity? Can there be a unified account of 
simplicity or should one embrace pluralism?

We invite contributions from the full spectrum of disciplines and their 
respective philosophies, scientists and scholars reflecting on their 
respective and neighboring research fields, as well as historians, 
philosophers and sociologists of science investigating the 
epistemologies, practices, and discourses of fellow epistemic communities.


  *

    For further information, please contact the guest editors:

      o

        Florian J. Boge fjboge at uni-wuppertal.de
        <mailto:fjboge at uni-wuppertal.de>

      o

        Paul Grünke paul.gruenke at kit.edu <mailto:paul.gruenke at kit.edu>

      o

        Martin Kingmking at uni-bonn.de <mailto:mking at uni-bonn.de>

      o

        Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo
        carreterosahuqu at uni-wuppertal.de
        <mailto:carreterosahuqu at uni-wuppertal.de>



  *

    The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2020

Submit your paper through the Synthese Editorial Manager under a 
dedicated heading entitled "T.C.: Simplicity out of Complexity? Physics 
and the Aim of Science". Please visit Editorial Manager® 
<https://www.editorialmanager.com/synt>and select this heading when 
submitting the manuscript.

Submitted papers will be peer-reviewed as per usual journal practice. At 
least two reviewers will be assigned to each paper and final decisions 
will be taken by Synthese Editors in Chief, following the recommendation 
of the Guest Editors, which is based on the reviewers’ reports. Please 
prepare papers for anonymous reviews.

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