We Have Never Been Sophisticated

TL;DR

The paper critically examines Dewar's distinction between reduction and sophistication in physical theories, arguing that the distinction is not meaningful and that multiple notions of reduction exist in the literature.

Contribution

It challenges Dewar's proposed distinction, clarifies the different notions of reduction, and discusses their motivations and implications.

Findings

No meaningful philosophical distinction between reduction and internal sophistication.

Multiple notions of reduction in the literature have different motivations and outcomes.

Abstract

Many philosophers of physics maintain that a physical theory that exhibits (certain kinds of) symmetries is flawed, on the grounds that such theories posit "excess structure". In an influential paper, Dewar [2019, "Sophistication about Symmetries", \emph{Brit. J. Phil. Sci.} \textbf{70}: 485-521] introduces a distinction between "reduction" and "sophistication" as alternative ways of removing excess structure. In this paper we re-examine the distinction as Dewar draws it, and we argue that there is no physically or philosophically important distinction between what Dewar calls "reduction" and what he calls "internal sophistication". We then argue that there are multiple notions of "reduction" in the literature that ought to be distinguished, both in motivation and in outcome.