Yes, "structuralism" is a good term for it.

Indeed, in search for "truly physical" objects or concepts physicists discovered that there is non. Whatever "physical" object or concept they begin to analyse in depth - it's "physical essence" soon vanishes, showing that it actually is simply mathematical property of deeper object/essence.

I already mention several times as an illustration that such "very physical" objects as a photon and such "very physical" concept as a magnetic field are simply mathematical properties of electric charge (different sates of motion of charge). Currently such "fundamentally physical" concept as mass begin to vanish too. At a close look it seems to be relativistic mathematical property of energy of waves (or strings, which are standing waves) - when observer moves in respect to wave (or vice versa), he sees different energy of wave, thus the inertia - any attempt to accelerate a wave requires work (energy) thus requires a force (because work=force x distance). Thus "massles" by itself wave (or string) has inertial property just due to relativity (SR). And inertia (resistive force proportional to acceleration when you try to accelerate "stuff") is what we call "mass" in physics.

So, there may be no "physical" objects in universe at all. Only mathematical structures we call (label) as color, taste, mass, sound, force, gravitation, electron, atom, nucleus, etc.

• Clarification - harvey1 - October 3, 2001 - 18:17 UTC
  • Correction - harvey1 - October 3, 2001 - 18:18 UTC
  • But what do you think about lack of "physical" objects/concepts? - alexander - October 3, 2001 - 19:14 UTC
    • You don't want to know - harvey1 - October 3, 2001 - 19:39 UTC
      • I'd rather call it materialism. - alexander - October 3, 2001 - 20:07 UTC
    • I knew you weren't gonna like it - harvey1 - October 3, 2001 - 20:52 UTC
• Mathematical idealism - harvey1 - October 3, 2001 - 21:28 UTC
  • Clarification - harvey1 - October 4, 2001 - 02:19 UTC
    • Harvey, what is your opinion about philosophy in general and - alexander - October 4, 2001 - 21:23 UTC
  • Philosophy - harvey1 - October 4, 2001 - 22:57 UTC