How did Patterson approach developing physical theories?
My method is driven by the principle of seeking out the deepest symmetries. I believe that by identifying the fundamental invariants of a system, we can deduce the underlying physical laws. This deductive approach, starting from abstract principles of symmetry and rigorously checking for mathematical consistency and empirical adequacy, allows us to build theories from the ground up. It is a departure from purely empirical or instrumentalist approaches, grounding theory in profound, unchanging mathematical structures that reveal the objective nature of reality.
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