Symmetry and symmetry-breaking in the philosophy and thinking of Leo Apostel
pp. 11-15
in: Diederik Aerts, Hubert Van Belle, Jan Van Der Veken (eds), World views and the problem of synthesis, Berlin, Springer, 1999Abstract
Leo Apostel was fascinated by the opposition between symmetries and the breaking of symmetries ('symmetry-breaking"). In his contribution to Perspectives on the world [1],entitled "Symmetry and symmetry-breaking: ontology in science" (An Outline of a whole), he considers this polarity to be the key to the understanding of the nature of global reality. According to him, the recognition of symmetries and symmetrybreakings or asymmetries as characteristics of totality offers unifying as well as specifying possibilities. He considered the "unifying" pole of this opposition to be of great importance to the construction of world views, a project in which he was enthusiastically involved. Since Leo Apostel believed that the symmetries and asymmetries can be found on each of the levels of reality, he considered them to be fundamental characteristics of the world and as a final explanation. The aesthetical aspect of this explanation complied with his deepest desires.
