A Philosopher of Science's View of Physics (Radin Dardashti)

What is philosophy of science, and why should physicists care? In this talk, I offer an accessible overview of the field, some of its central questions, methods, and what it means to study science itself as an object of inquiry. While philosophy of science can be abstract, it is often closer to scientific practice than its reputation suggests, seeking to make explicit what is already implicit in how science is done and drawing closely on the history of science to do so. To make this concrete, I draw on examples from my own research. I examine what a scientific problem in physics is and how the way a problem is posed can constrain and guide theory development. I also explore the role of values in physics research, asking which criteria physicists use to judge theories, and whether those criteria are epistemically justified. Together, these examples give a sense of how philosophy of science engages with physics and what that engagement can look like in practice.