On Mathematics as the Language of Physics
Abstract
Do theoretical models represent the world by themselves or only when mediated by language? Although the latter answer is standard in the literature on scientific representation, recently the former type of view has become popular. It is seen as an advantage of such a maths-only view that it leads to a form of structural realism. I argue that this is not the case: there is no reason to believe that mathematics represents only structure.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Philosophy and History of Science
Philosophy
Science
and History
Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Publication details
- Journal / source
- PhilSci-Archive (University of Pittsburgh)
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint