Foundational physical theories universal applicability

Perhaps we ought to infer from this limited scope of actual applicability of foundational physical theories a denial of their purported universality. Perhaps we ought to think of the world s ontology, its natures, as being as diverse and pluralistic as the rich world of special sciences, with their idiosyncratic concepts and laws of limited applicability, that we use actually to describe and explain nature s behavior. 

But, it has been trenchantly argued, if the domain of a theory is properly taken to be the class of happenings in the world the theory can actually desctibe and explain, then foundational physical theories have no such universal scope. First, consider the fact that for most of what we want desctibed and explained in the world, such theories have no applicability at all. Who ever provided a description of the behavior of a chimpanzee, say, in terms of relativistic quantum field theory, and who ever explained failure of competitive equilibrium in markets with natural monopolistic aspects, say, by reference to the elementary particles of the world and their dynamics in spacetime ... 

At first, the series has a new editor. I, Michael Springborg, am a professor of physical and theoretical chemistry at the University of Saarland in Saarbriicken, Germany, and have research interests on the border between chemistry and physics. The major parts of the research activities of my group concentrate on development and application of theoretical methods and accompanying computer codes for the calculation of properties of materials. Of particular interest to us are structural and electronic properties of systems that are larger than small molecules, but smaller than macroscopic solids. These systems include clusters and colloids, polymers and chain compounds, and surfaces without and with adsorbants. Also fundamental issues like the theoretical treatment of extended systems exposed to electromagnetic fields as well as foundations of density-functional theory are of interest to us. 

Eringen s interest in the micromorphic theory continued when he joined the faculty of Princeton University in 1966. During the early Princeton years, he concentrated on the application of this theory to turbulence, liquid crystals, polymers, suspensions, biomechanics, and composite materials. He has always kept a deep interest in questions related to the foundations of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. In recent years, Eringen has been the most articulate and active proponent of the nonlocal theory of continua with applications to dislocation theory, fracture problems, surface physics, composite materials, and turbulence. 

---