Events

Separating Ontology from Realist Commitment

Abstract: The web of dualities encountered in the context of string theory creates a serious problem for a realist understanding of fundamental physics: how can we understand the “real world” that would be implied by string theory, given that its dual theories suggest vastly different ontologies? A response that has gained significant traction in recent years is the common core view: identify what is invariant under duality transformations and be realist about this common core of the dual representations. In this talk, we will propose a substantially different answer: detach ontology from realist commitment and be realist about the full theory as represented by any of the duals (or, in a sense, by all duals in conjunction). On this view, an ontology characterizes an observer’s perspective as represented by a near-classical limit of the theory, while (fundamental) realist commitment points at the observer independent structure of the true theory. We argue that the separation of ontology from realist commitment not only accounts best for the message we get from string dualities but also provides an instructive perspective on realist commitment in quantum mechanics in general.

The talk is based on joint work with Gui Franzmann.

Monday, February 2, 2026 11:00 AM

Inperson
BHI Conference Room and Zoom