Rules, laws, and reductionism

摘要

It is argued that rule following and rule making involve capabilities that are difficult to describe solely in terms of the concepts of present day physics. Among these are the ability to establish conventions for symbol use, to understand rule governed situations on the basis of extended context and background knowledge, and to choose whether or not to follow rules. The suggestion is made that physicalism as a basis for the unity of science should give way to an expanded set of concepts better suited for describing living systems and the phenomena they give rise to.