Article ID: CBB000471127

Unconventional Wisdom: Theory-Specificity in Reichenbach's Geometric Conventionalism (2004)

unapi

The standard account portrays Hans Reichenbach's argument for geometric conventionalism as based upon general epistemological concerns of verifiability. As such, his version of conventionalism ought to be equally well applicable to all theories that posit a geometric structure to space–time. But when Reichenbach's writings from the period between the publication of Relativitätstheorie und Erkenntnis Apriori and Axiomatik der Raum-Zeit-Lehre, i.e., between 1920 and 1924, are examined, a very different picture emerges. The argument for the conventionality of geometry that appears in these writings is tied to discussions of the theory of general relativity and Reichenbach explicitly argues that geometry in Minkowski space–time is not conventional once the definition of simultaneity is put in place. In light of this, the received interpretation of Reichenbach's position needs to be replaced with a theory-specific picture of geometric conventionalism. This change has interesting consequences for both the standard arguments against Reichenbach's view and for questions in Reichenbach scholarship.

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Authors & Contributors
McCoy, C. D.
Vrhovski, Jan
Cauvin, Jean-Paul

Winter, Maximilien
Willgoose, James Edward
Concepts
Philosophy of mathematics
Epistemology
Geometry
Mathematics
Philosophy of science
Logic
Time Periods
20th century, early
19th century
Ancient
20th century, late
20th century
18th century
Places
France
Europe
Italy
Greece
Germany
China
Institutions
Axiom
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