Nijboer, Jackson (2020) Is it possible to account for all phenomena in terms of fundamental physical laws? Bachelor, Free major.
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Thesis_[Jackson Trey Nijboer]_[Is it possible to account for all phenomena in terms of fundamental physical laws_, Final Version].pdf Download (366kB) | Preview |
Abstract
In this paper I attempt to find an answer to the research question: “Is it possible to account for all phenomena in terms of fundamental physical laws? ”. In particular, I dissect the question into an epistemological dimension and an ontological dimension. While the former is interesting for the allocation of scientific funding, the latter is interesting to philosophers. I begin by describing the concepts of reduction and emergence, differentiating in the varying ways in which both can occur, as they pertain to my research question. I then look at several different academic fields which show problems with the reductionist view. I first describe the notion of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the natural sciences. Following that I look at the similarity between (social) complexity and emergence. Lastly, I present some arguments from the philosophy of mind about the possibility of explaining consciousness in physical terms. These cases seem to indicate that there are many weakly emergent phenomena, and additionally that consciousness is a good candidate for a strongly emergent phenomenon. This tells us that the epistemological question receives a negative answer. The ontological question however remains unanswered, as there does not seem to be a general consensus on whether consciousness is truly irreducible.
| Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Major: | Free major |
| Supervisor: | Friederich, S.M. |
| Datum van aanlevering: | 09 Jul 2020 14:27 |
| Last modified: | 09 Jul 2020 14:27 |
| URI: | http://ucg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/61 |
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