Reflections on the four facets of symmetry: how physics exemplifies rational thinking

Amaury Mouchet (1, 2)

1 LMPT - Laboratoire de Mathématiques et Physique Théorique
2 FDP - Fédération de recherche Denis Poisson

In contemporary theoretical physics, the powerful notion of symmetry stands for a web of intricate meanings among which I identify four clusters associated with the notion of transformation, comprehension, invariance and projection. While their interrelations are examined closely, these four facets of symmetry are scrutinised one after the other in great detail. This decomposition allows us to examine closely the multiple different roles symmetry plays in many places in physics. Furthermore, some connections with others disciplines like neurobiology, epistemology, cognitive sciences and, not least, philosophy are proposed in an attempt to show that symmetry can be an organising principle also in these fields.

Keywords: Symmetry and conservation laws; Symmetry breaking

Domains: History of Physics [physics.hist-ph]

Amaury Mouchet. Reflections on the four facets of symmetry: how physics exemplifies rational thinking. European Physical Journal H, 2013, 38, pp.661. ⟨10.1140/epjh/e2013-40018-4⟩. ⟨hal-00637572v2⟩