The hierarchy, fine tuning, and naturalness problem from a philosophical perspective

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The goal of this project is to analyze the conceptual origins of the naturalness principle and assess its status as a guiding principle in the construction of theories. Since the naturalness principle can be understood as a demand for simplicity, it connects closely with the overarching theme of the Research Unit. In Phase 1, the A2 project has identified several points of weakness in the motivations for the naturalness principle and called into question its purported successful applications, such as the prediction of the charm quark mass. In Phase 2, we are going to analyze to what extent and in which form the attitude of physicists towards the naturalness concept has changed in the light of the lack of any conclusive signs for New Physics at the LHC. We further intend to more deeply explore the connection of naturalness to the foundations of renormalization theory and issues of reduction and emergence, and to consider applications of naturalness in other areas of physics, including the cosmological constant problem and the strong-CP problem.