In the
philosophy of science
Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...
, under the
correspondence principle
In physics, a correspondence principle is any one of several premises or assertions about the relationship between classical and quantum mechanics.
The physicist Niels Bohr coined the term in 1920 during the early development of quantum theory; ...
, a limiting case
theory
A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...
is an earlier theory which becomes incorporated into a later, usually broader theory; that is to say, the earlier (limiting case) theory proves to be a special or limited case of the later theory. Technically, a theory is said to be a limiting case of another, later theory when and if the later theory subsumes the theoretical relations and apparent referents of the earlier one. For example, physicists agree that
classical mechanics
Classical mechanics is a Theoretical physics, physical theory describing the motion of objects such as projectiles, parts of Machine (mechanical), machinery, spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. The development of classical mechanics inv ...
constitutes a low-energy limiting case of
relativity theory.
[Ladyman, James (2013): "Toward a Demarcation of Science from Pseudoscience", in ''Philosophy of Pseudoscience'', Chicago-London: The University of Chicago Press, p. 51.]
In words of
Larry Laudan,
realist philosophers use this phrase in the sense that the theory "T
1 can be a limiting case of
he theoryT
2 only if (a) ''all'' the variables (observable and theoretical) assigned a value in T
1 are assigned a value by T
2 and (b) the values assigned to every variable of T
1 are the same as, or very close to, the values T
2 assigns to the corresponding variable when certain initial and boundary conditions—consistent with T
2—are specified".
The idea that a theory (in our previous example,
Newtonian mechanics
Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. These laws, which provide the basis for Newtonian mechanics, can be paraphrased as follows:
# A body r ...
) that is close to being true (i.e., that is
verisimil) converges as a limiting case into a superior theory (in this example,
relativistic mechanics
In physics, relativistic mechanics refers to mechanics compatible with special relativity (SR) and general relativity (GR). It provides a non- quantum mechanical description of a system of particles, or of a fluid, in cases where the velocities o ...
) can be an argument for
scientific realism
Scientific realism is the philosophical view that the universe described by science (including both observable and unobservable aspects) exists independently of our perceptions, and that verified scientific theories are at least approximately true ...
, as the theoretical entities postulated by the previous theories are still considered existent (if one assumes semantic realism, they are considered existent because they are referred to) in the successor theories.
References
* ''A Confutation of Convergent Realism'',
Larry Laudan, in "
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...
" Vol. 48, No. 1 (Mar., 1981), p. 21, The University of Chicago Press. Online in https://www.jstor.org/stable/187066
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Concepts in the philosophy of science
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