ELFT HÍRADÓ

["Laszlo E. Szabo" <leszabo AT hps.elte.hu>]

Department of HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Eötvös University, Budapest
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Pázmány P. sétány 1/A
Budapest, Hungary
Phone/Fax: (36-1) 372 2924
The web site of the seminar:
http://hps.elte.hu/seminar

Philosophy of Science Colloquium
Room 6.54 (6th floor)  Monday 4:00 PM
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30 September  4:00 PM   6th floor 6.54
(Language of presentation: English)

G i o r a   H o n  <http://philo.haifa.ac.il/faculty_pages/hon.htm>
Department of Philosophy
University of Haifa

Gödel, Einstein, Mach: Constraining Completeness of Physical Theory

Can a theory turn back, as it were, upon itself and vouch for its own
features? That is, can the derived elements of a theory be the very
primitive terms that provide the presuppositions of the theory? This
form of completeness assumes a totality in which there occurs
quantification over that totality, quantification that is defined
by this very totality. I argue that the Mach principle exhibits
features of this notion of completeness. I propose an analogy
between the Mach principle as a possible selection principle in
general relativity and the vicious-circle principle in foundation
of mathematics. I finally conclude with a consequence of this
analogy vis-á-vis completeness, viz., completeness has to be
constrained.
Cosmological models set the scene for the view of completeness
discussed in the paper. Specifically, the ideas encapsulated in
what Einstein called the "Mach principle" constitute the thread of
this account. The principle however is found to falter, in view of
the fact that there are several different types of solution of the
field equations that contradict it. One such important result with
ramifying consequences is the rotational mass solution of Gödel. The
question arises as to whether there is an analogy between
incompleteness in foundation of mathematics and in physics? The
analogy between the vicious-circle principle and the Mach principle
demonstrates an affirmative answer which suggests in turn that
completeness must be curtailed - that is, conditions and limits should
be imposed on completeness to render it valid.


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The organizer of the seminar: László E. Szabó
<http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo><mailto:leszabo AT hps.elte.hu>)


L a s z l o   E.   S z a b o
Theoretical Physics Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Department of History and Philosophy of Science
Eotvos University, Budapest
H-1518 Budapest, Pf. 32, Hungary
Phone/Fax: (36-1)372-2924
Mobil/SMS: (36) 20-366-1172
http://hps.elte.hu/~leszabo