A New Foundation of Physical Theories

This book is a revision and expansion of the concept of a physical theory as
developed in [1].
In this book, we introduce the following:
– A concept of basic language; a descriptive language of simple form in
which it is possible to formulate recorded facts. The semantics of this
basic language make it possible to clarify the links between linguistic,
conceptual, and real entities of the application domain of a physical theory.
– A new concept of idealization. We know that practically all mathematical
theories used in the physical theories can only be approximations of the
reality, i.e., that they can be applied to an application domain of a physical
theory only under the assumption of allowing for some degree of approximation or degree of inaccuracy.
We propose a review (related to the new concepts introduced above) of the
“notion of relations between various physical theories,” and of the “process
allowing to find new concepts” developed in [1].
The analysis presented here will be less of a description of the current state
of physics than a suggestion to modify this state. The authors think that a
solution can be found amongst the many difficult problems of physics such as
the interpretation of physical theories, the relations between various theories,
and the introduction of physical concepts, when the theories are under the
form of an axiomatic basis. The analysis presented here does not claim to
be definitive. It should, on the contrary, encourage the reader to continue the
development of the fundamental ideas of this work. Such a development should
contribute to highlight the durable core and growing strength of physical
knowledge about the real structures of the world, in addition to the process
of the historical development of physics.
If this book was to suggest such a development, it would then have achieved
its goal. The authors also encourage the reader to correct any possible faults
in the text and are convinced that the correction of such errors will not call
into question the fundamental ideas of this work.