Demolishing prejudices to get to the foundations: a criterion of demarcation for fundamentality

TL;DR

This paper proposes a scientific criterion for fundamentality based on empirical falsifiability of metaphysical assumptions, challenging traditional views and applying it to quantum physics and biophysics.

Contribution

It introduces a falsifiability-based criterion for fundamentality, moving away from traditional bottom-up or top-down approaches, and demonstrates its application in scientific domains.

Findings

Fundamentality is defined by survival of metaphysical assumptions after empirical testing.

Falsified assumptions are rejected, demolishing prejudiced views of fundamentality.

Applied to quantum physics and biophysics, the criterion helps identify fundamental concepts.

Abstract

In this paper, we reject commonly accepted views on fundamentality in science, either based on bottom-up construction or top-down reduction to isolate the alleged fundamental entities. We do not introduce any new scientific methodology, but rather describe the current scientific methodology and show how it entails an inherent search for foundations of science. This is achieved by phrasing (minimal sets of) metaphysical assumptions into falsifiable statements and define as fundamental those that survive empirical tests. The ones that are falsified are rejected, and the corresponding philosophical concept is demolished as a prejudice. Furthermore, we show the application of this criterion in concrete examples of the search for fundamentality in quantum physics and biophysics.