Question

The closest to this idea I could find was talk of ceteris paribus laws, but it was hard to tell how much this concerned physics, even just potentially/speculatively. But having decided to believe that most or all the axioms of set theory, say, "break down" the farther one goes, I had cause to wonder if the laws of physics have natural exceptions, too, or rather if one could conceive of such a law as had exceptions.

Something like a halting moment for a (hyper)computer, maybe? Note also that this idea is not identical to Lee Smolin's "changing laws of physics," at least if the change is more permanent on Smolin's picture (I don't know the details, though). And there seem like there might be some affinities between this fail-rate concept and the "new" riddle of induction.

Answer 1

Physicists operate under the assumption that all scientific laws and theories are valid until a counterexample is observed. If a new experiment or observation contradicts a well-established law, it may require modifying or completely overthrowing the law.

Step-by-step explanation:

Physicists operate under the assumption that all scientific laws and theories are valid until a counterexample is observed. Laws can never be known with absolute certainty because it is impossible to perform every imaginable experiment in order to confirm a law in every possible scenario. If a good-quality, verifiable experiment contradicts a well-established law, then the law must be modified or overthrown completely.

This means that the laws of physics are not exempt from exceptions. If a new experiment or observation contradicts a well-established law, it may require modifying or completely overthrowing the law. Theories and laws in physics are constantly evolving based on new evidence and experimentation.