Open AccessParticle Theories. A Sketch of a Structuralist Reconstruction
Author(s) -
Joseph D. Sneed
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
metatheoria
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1853-2322
pISSN - 1853-2330
DOI - 10.48160/18532330me11.263
Subject(s) - subatomic particle , structuralism (philosophy of science) , sketch , component (thermodynamics) , particle (ecology) , theoretical physics , physics , elementary particle , epistemology , philosophy , quantum mechanics , mathematics , oceanography , algorithm , geology
Particle theories intend to describe the fundamental constituents from which all matter is constructed and the interactions among them. These constituents include atoms and molecules as well as their subatomic constituents, nuclei and their component parts including elementary particles. We consider an alternative to the usual particle theories (PT’s), but dealing with the same phenomena. We call these theories ‘QT’s’. This is an attempt to provide a formal description of the essential features of elementary particle theories within the framework of metatheoretical structuralism.