Nadine de Courtenay (Université Paris Diderot)
Far from pertaining to mere convention, the redefinition of base units in terms of fundamental constants entails assumptions about the validity of existing theories. These assumptions surface (i) in a social work of deliberation and calculation designed to ensure the coherence of future measurement results in the new system; and (ii) in implicit theoretical claims about the fusion of quantities that were previously thought to be distinct. This talk will bring out the ways in which these social and theoretical levels of scientific construction get articulated into a historical process of learning that highlights the epistemological role of fundamental constants.
