Symmetries and explanations

the lessons of elementary particle physics

Manfred Stoeckler

pp. 343-355

in: Dimitri Ginev, Robert S. Cohen (eds), Issues and images in the philosophy of science, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

Symmetries play an important role in the history of science and art.³ In the development of modern physics the use of symmetry arguments changed radically in the beginning of the 20th century. To a considerable extent the new rise of symmetry in theoretical physics is due to A. Einstein, H. Weyl, and E. Wigner.⁴