Title: What is theoretical equivalence?

Speaker:  Guanqun Liu (PKU)

Time: 15:10 ~ 18:00  (Nov. 22)

Tencent Meeting ID: 232 728 816

Abstract:  In science and philosophy, people often take two theories as equivalent, even when these theories are in different object languages. But what exactly is theoretical equivalence? This talk will investigate this question in two parts. In the first part we focus on the technical characterization of theoretical equivalence in propositional logic and first-order logic, and then on the philosophical issues behind these technical characterizations in the second part. This talk is mostly based on work of Hans Halvorson and T.W. Barrett. The contents range over Morita equivalence, Ramsey sentence, Putnam's paradox and philosophical insights of Carnap and Quine.