Understanding Quantum Mechanics from a Kantian Standpoint
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Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Chemistry
Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Chemistry Jaap van Brakel Abstract: In this paper I assess the relation between philosophy of chemistry and (general) philosophy of science, focusing on those themes in the philoso- phy of chemistry that may bring about major revisions or extensions of cur- rent philosophy of science. Three themes can claim to make a unique contri- bution to philosophy of science: first, the variety of materials in the (natural and artificial) world; second, extending the world by making new stuff; and, third, specific features of the relations between chemistry and physics. Keywords : philosophy of science, philosophy of chemistry, interdiscourse relations, making stuff, variety of substances . 1. Introduction Chemistry is unique and distinguishes itself from all other sciences, with respect to three broad issues: • A (variety of) stuff perspective, requiring conceptual analysis of the notion of stuff or material (Sections 4 and 5). • A making stuff perspective: the transformation of stuff by chemical reaction or phase transition (Section 6). • The pivotal role of the relations between chemistry and physics in connection with the question how everything fits together (Section 7). All themes in the philosophy of chemistry can be classified in one of these three clusters or make contributions to general philosophy of science that, as yet , are not particularly different from similar contributions from other sci- ences (Section 3). I do not exclude the possibility of there being more than three clusters of philosophical issues unique to philosophy of chemistry, but I am not aware of any as yet. Moreover, highlighting the issues discussed in Sections 5-7 does not mean that issues reviewed in Section 3 are less im- portant in revising the philosophy of science. -
151545957.Pdf
Universit´ede Montr´eal Towards a Philosophical Reconstruction of the Dialogue between Modern Physics and Advaita Ved¯anta: An Inquiry into the Concepts of ¯ak¯a´sa, Vacuum and Reality par Jonathan Duquette Facult´ede th´eologie et de sciences des religions Th`ese pr´esent´ee `ala Facult´edes ´etudes sup´erieures en vue de l’obtention du grade de Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.) en sciences des religions Septembre 2010 c Jonathan Duquette, 2010 Universit´ede Montr´eal Facult´edes ´etudes sup´erieures et postdoctorales Cette th`ese intitul´ee: Towards A Philosophical Reconstruction of the Dialogue between Modern Physics and Advaita Ved¯anta: An Inquiry into the Concepts of ¯ak¯a´sa, Vacuum and Reality pr´esent´ee par: Jonathan Duquette a ´et´e´evalu´ee par un jury compos´edes personnes suivantes: Patrice Brodeur, pr´esident-rapporteur Trichur S. Rukmani, directrice de recherche Normand Mousseau, codirecteur de recherche Solange Lefebvre, membre du jury Varadaraja Raman, examinateur externe Karine Bates, repr´esentante du doyen de la FESP ii Abstract Toward the end of the 19th century, the Hindu monk and reformer Swami Vivekananda claimed that modern science was inevitably converging towards Advaita Ved¯anta, an important philosophico-religious system in Hinduism. In the decades that followed, in the midst of the revolution occasioned by the emergence of Einstein’s relativity and quantum physics, a growing number of authors claimed to discover striking “par- allels” between Advaita Ved¯anta and modern physics. Such claims of convergence have continued to the present day, especially in relation to quantum physics. In this dissertation, an attempt is made to critically examine such claims by engaging a de- tailed comparative analysis of two concepts: ¯ak¯a´sa in Advaita Ved¯anta and vacuum in quantum physics. -
Physics Needs Philosophy. Philosophy Needs Physics
Found Phys (2018) 48:481–491 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-018-0167-y Physics Needs Philosophy. Philosophy Needs Physics Carlo Rovelli1 Received: 4 April 2018 / Accepted: 5 April 2018 / Published online: 3 May 2018 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Contrary to claims about the irrelevance of philosophy for science, I argue that philosophy has had, and still has, far more influence on physics than is commonly assumed. I maintain that the current anti-philosophical ideology has had damaging effects on the fertility of science. I also suggest that recent important empirical results, such as the detection of the Higgs particle and gravitational waves, and the failure to detect supersymmetry where many expected to find it, question the validity of certain philosophical assumptions common among theoretical physicists, inviting us to engage in a clearer philosophical reflection on scientific method. Keywords Philosophy of physics · Aristotle · Popper · Kuhn 1. Against Philosophy is the title of a chapter of a book by one of the great physicists of the last generation: Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize winner and one of the architects of the Standard Model of elementary particle physics [1]. Weinberg argues eloquently that philosophy is more damaging than helpful for physics—although it might pro- vide some good ideas at times, it is often a straightjacket that physicists have to free themselves from. More radically, Stephen Hawking famously wrote that “philosophy is dead” because the big questions that used to be discussed by philosophers are now in the hands of physicists [2]. Similar views are widespread among scientists, and scientists do not keep them to themselves. -
Hamilton Equations, Commutator, and Energy Conservation †
quantum reports Article Hamilton Equations, Commutator, and Energy Conservation † Weng Cho Chew 1,* , Aiyin Y. Liu 2 , Carlos Salazar-Lazaro 3 , Dong-Yeop Na 1 and Wei E. I. Sha 4 1 College of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; [email protected] 2 College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; [email protected] 3 Physics Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61820, USA; [email protected] 4 College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] † Based on the talk presented at the 40th Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS, Toyama, Japan, 1–4 August 2018). Received: 12 September 2019; Accepted: 3 December 2019; Published: 9 December 2019 Abstract: We show that the classical Hamilton equations of motion can be derived from the energy conservation condition. A similar argument is shown to carry to the quantum formulation of Hamiltonian dynamics. Hence, showing a striking similarity between the quantum formulation and the classical formulation. Furthermore, it is shown that the fundamental commutator can be derived from the Heisenberg equations of motion and the quantum Hamilton equations of motion. Also, that the Heisenberg equations of motion can be derived from the Schrödinger equation for the quantum state, which is the fundamental postulate. These results are shown to have important bearing for deriving the quantum Maxwell’s equations. Keywords: quantum mechanics; commutator relations; Heisenberg picture 1. Introduction In quantum theory, a classical observable, which is modeled by a real scalar variable, is replaced by a quantum operator, which is analogous to an infinite-dimensional matrix operator. -
The Conjugate Variable Method in Hamilton-Lie Perturbation Theory −Applications to Plasma Physics−
Plasma and Fusion Research: Regular Articles Volume 3, 057 (2008) The Conjugate Variable Method in Hamilton-Lie Perturbation Theory −Applications to Plasma Physics− Shinji TOKUDA Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Naka, Ibaraki, 311-0193 Japan (Received 21 February 2008 / Accepted 29 July 2008) The conjugate variable method, an essential ingredient in the path-integral formalism of classical statistical dynamics, is used to apply the Hamilton-Lie perturbation theory to a system of ordinary differential equations that does not have the Hamiltonian dynamic structure. The method endows the system with this structure by doubling the unknown variables; hence, the canonical Hamilton-Lie perturbation theory becomes applicable to the system. The method is applied to two classical problems of plasma physics to demonstrate its effectiveness and study its properties: a non-linear oscillator that can explode and the guiding center motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field. c 2008 The Japan Society of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research Keywords: one-form, Hamilton-Lie perturbation method, conjugate variable, non-linear oscillator, guiding cen- ter motion, plasma physics DOI: 10.1585/pfr.3.057 1. Introduction Since the Hamilton-Lie perturbation method is a pow- We begin by considering the following two non-linear erful analytical tool that enables us to investigate the prob- oscillators lem deeply, it would be a significant contribution to the de- velopment of approximation methods in physics if it were dx dy = y, = −x − x3, (1) made applicable for equations such as Eq. (2), which do dt dt not have the Hamiltonian structure. This seems impossi- and ble since the Hamilton-Lie perturbation method assumes the Hamiltonian structure of the equations. -
The Role of Philosophy in a Naturalized World
EuJAP | Vol. 8 | No. 1 | 2012 ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC PAPER UDK: 1 Dummett, M. 1:53 530.1:140.8 113/119 THE ROLE OF PHILOSOPHY IN A NATURALIZED WORLD JAN FAYE University of Copenhagen ABSTRACT 1. Introduction This paper discusses the late Michael Dummett’s Why are humanists and natural scientists characterization of the estrangement between unable to understand one another? Th is physics and philosophy. It argues against those physicists who hold that modern physics, seems to be one of the two main questions rather than philosophy, can answer traditional that concern Sir Michael in his thought- metaphysical questions such as why there is provoking essay “Th e Place of Philosophy something rather than nothing. The claim is that in the European Culture.” He does not physics cannot solve metaphysical problems since metaphysical issues are in principle himself supply us with any defi nite answer, empirically underdetermined. The paper closes but suggests that philosophers in general with a critical discussion of the assumption of do not know much about the natural some cosmologists that the Universe was created sciences, and therefore do not dare to speak out of nothing: In contrast to this misleading up against the natural scientists (and those assumption, it is proposed that the Universe has a necessary existence and that the present epoch who do are not interested in the same kind after the Big Bang is a contingent realization of of problems as the scientists.) Moreover, the Universe. because of the great success of the natural sciences scientists are often arrogant by Keywords: : Dummett, physics, philosophy, meta- assuming that the only knowledge we physics, underdetermination, cosmology can have is the knowledge they are able to provide. -
PHIL 146: Philosophy of Physics Topic: Arrows of Time Fall 2019
PHIL 146: Philosophy of Physics Topic: Arrows of Time Fall 2019. UCSD Syllabus Instructor: Eddy Keming Chen Office: H&SS Room 8004 Email: [email protected] Website: www.eddykemingchen.net Version of October 1, 2019 1 Course Description This course will provide an introduction to topics in the philosophy of physics. Our focus will be on the problems of the arrows of time. 2 Course Information • Meeting time: Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 - 10:50 am. First class on Thur Sept 26. • Class location: Sequoyah Hall Room 148 • Office hours: Tuesday at 11:00am - 12:00pm, Thursday at 11:00am - 12:00pm. Other times by appointment. • Prerequisites: no formal requirements. But a solid high-school physics background would be recommended. A college-level physics background would definitely be sufficient. • Required texts: David Albert, Time and Chance (Harvard University Press, 2000; any version is fine). Sean Carroll, From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time (Dutton, 2010; any version is fine). 1 3 Philosophy of Physics Why study philosophy of physics? Well, Phil Physics is one of the most exciting areas of philosophy; it brings together philosophy and physics, and it intersects many domains, such as philosophy of science, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and philosophy of language! If you wonder about the following questions, then this course is for you! • What is the nature of space and time? What is the meaning of relativity? • How to make sense of quantum mechanics? • What is a physical field? What are particles? • What is the meaning of probability in physical theories? • What kind of things are laws of nature (such as Newton’s laws and the Schrörindger equation)? What are symmetries and invariances? • Why is mathematics so effective at describing the physical world, from medium- sized dry goods to fundamental physical theories? • How does physics relate to the rest of the sciences such as biology and psychology? • What is the place of the mind and of the consciousness in a physical world? We won’t be able to address all of these questions. -
A Method for Choosing an Initial Time Eigenstate in Classical and Quantum Systems
Entropy 2013, 15, 2415-2430; doi:10.3390/e15062415 OPEN ACCESS entropy ISSN 1099-4300 www.mdpi.com/journal/entropy Article A Method for Choosing an Initial Time Eigenstate in Classical and Quantum Systems Gabino Torres-Vega * and Monica´ Noem´ı Jimenez-Garc´ ´ıa Physics Department, Cinvestav, Apdo. postal 14-740, Mexico,´ DF 07300 , Mexico; E-Mail:njimenez@fis.cinvestav.mx * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: gabino@fis.cinvestav.mx; Tel./Fax: +52-555-747-3833. Received: 23 April 2013; in revised form: 29 May 2013 / Accepted: 3 June 2013 / Published: 17 June 2013 Abstract: A subject of interest in classical and quantum mechanics is the development of the appropriate treatment of the time variable. In this paper we introduce a method of choosing the initial time eigensurface and how this method can be used to generate time-energy coordinates and, consequently, time-energy representations for classical and quantum systems. Keywords: energy-time coordinates; energy-time eigenfunctions; time in classical systems; time in quantum systems; commutators in classical systems; commutators Classification: PACS 03.65.Ta; 03.65.Xp; 03.65.Nk 1. Introduction The possible existence of a time operator in Quantum Mechanics has long been a subject of interest. This subject has been studied from different points of view and has led to several developments in quantum theory. At the end of this paper there is a short, incomplete, list of papers on this subject. However, we can also study the time variable in classical systems to begin to understand how to address time in quantum systems. -
Journal of Transcendental Philosophy 2021; 2(1): 21–45
Journal of Transcendental Philosophy 2021; 2(1): 21–45 Brigitte Falkenburg* Edgar Wind on Experiment and Metaphysics https://doi.org/10.1515/jtph-2020-0038 Published online April 26, 2021 Abstract: The paper presents a detailed interpretation of Edgar Wind’s Experiment and Metaphysics (1934), a unique work on the philosophy of physics which broke with the Neo-Kantian tradition under the influence of American pragmatism. Taking up Cassirer’s interpretation of physics, Wind develops a holistic theory of the experiment and a constructivist account of empirical facts. Based on the concept of embodiment which plays a key role in Wind’s later writings on art history, he argues, however, that the outcomes of measurements are contingent. He then proposes an anti-Kantian conception of a metaphysics of nature. For him, nature is an unknown totality which manifests itself in discrepancies between theories and experiment, and hence the theory formation of physics can increas- ingly approximate the structure of nature. It is shown that this view is ambiguous between a transcendental, metaphysical realism in Kant’s sense and an internal realism in Putnam’s sense. Wind’s central claim is that twentieth century physics offers new options for resolving Kant’s cosmological antinomies. In particular, he connected quantum indeterminism with the possibility of human freedom, a connection that Cassirer sharply opposed. Keywords: cosmological antinomy, experiment, metaphysics, Edgar wind, embodiment 1 Introduction Edgar Wind’s Experiment and Metaphysics (Wind 1934, 2001) is a neglected work in the philosophy of science. When it was published, Wind, like Cassirer and many other scholars, had already left Germany. -
Introduction to Legendre Transforms
Legendre transforms Mark Alford, 2019-02-15 1 Introduction to Legendre transforms If you know basic thermodynamics or classical mechanics, then you are already familiar with the Legendre transformation, perhaps without realizing it. The Legendre transformation connects two ways of specifying the same physics, via functions of two related (\conjugate") variables. Table 1 shows some examples of Legendre transformations in basic mechanics and thermodynamics, expressed in the standard way. Context Relationship Conjugate variables Classical particle H(p; x) = px_ − L(_x; x) p = @L=@x_ mechanics L(_x; x) = px_ − H(p; x)_x = @H=@p Gibbs free G(T;:::) = TS − U(S; : : :) T = @U=@S energy U(S; : : :) = TS − G(T;:::) S = @G=@T Enthalpy H(P; : : :) = PV + U(V; : : :) P = −@U=@V U(V; : : :) = −PV + H(P; : : :) V = @H=@P Grand Ω(µ, : : :) = −µN + U(n; : : :) µ = @U=@N potential U(n; : : :) = µN + Ω(µ, : : :) N = −@Ω=@µ Table 1: Examples of the Legendre transform relationship in physics. In classical mechanics, the Lagrangian L and Hamiltonian H are Legendre transforms of each other, depending on conjugate variablesx _ (velocity) and p (momentum) respectively. In thermodynamics, the internal energy U can be Legendre transformed into various thermodynamic potentials, with associated conjugate pairs of variables such as temperature-entropy, pressure-volume, and \chemical potential"-density. The standard way of talking about Legendre transforms can lead to contradictorysounding statements. We can already see this in the simplest example, the classical mechanics of a single particle, specified by the Legendre transform pair L(_x) and H(p) (we suppress the x dependence of each of them). -
Circuits Et Signaux Quantiques Quantum
Chaire de Physique Mésoscopique Michel Devoret Année 2008, 13 mai - 24 juin CIRCUITS ET SIGNAUX QUANTIQUES QUANTUM SIGNALS AND CIRCUITS Première leçon / First Lecture This College de France document is for consultation only. Reproduction rights are reserved. 08-I-1 VISIT THE WEBSITE OF THE CHAIR OF MESOSCOPIC PHYSICS http://www.college-de-france.fr then follow Enseignement > Sciences Physiques > Physique Mésoscopique > PDF FILES OF ALL LECTURES WILL BE POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE Questions, comments and corrections are welcome! write to "[email protected]" 08-I-2 1 CALENDAR OF SEMINARS May 13: Denis Vion, (Quantronics group, SPEC-CEA Saclay) Continuous dispersive quantum measurement of an electrical circuit May 20: Bertrand Reulet (LPS Orsay) Current fluctuations : beyond noise June 3: Gilles Montambaux (LPS Orsay) Quantum interferences in disordered systems June 10: Patrice Roche (SPEC-CEA Saclay) Determination of the coherence length in the Integer Quantum Hall Regime June 17: Olivier Buisson, (CRTBT-Grenoble) A quantum circuit with several energy levels June 24: Jérôme Lesueur (ESPCI) High Tc Josephson Nanojunctions: Physics and Applications NOTE THAT THERE IS NO LECTURE AND NO SEMINAR ON MAY 27 ! 08-I-3 PROGRAM OF THIS YEAR'S LECTURES Lecture I: Introduction and overview Lecture II: Modes of a circuit and propagation of signals Lecture III: The "atoms" of signal Lecture IV: Quantum fluctuations in transmission lines Lecture V: Introduction to non-linear active circuits Lecture VI: Amplifying quantum signals with dispersive circuits NEXT YEAR: STRONGLY NON-LINEAR AND/OR DISSIPATIVE CIRCUITS 08-I-4 2 LECTURE I : INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 1. Review of classical radio-frequency circuits 2. -
Bohr's Complementarity and Kant's Epistemology
Bohr, 1913-2013, S´eminairePoincar´eXVII (2013) 145 { 166 S´eminairePoincar´e Bohr's Complementarity and Kant's Epistemology Michel Bitbol Archives Husserl ENS - CNRS 45, rue d'Ulm 75005 Paris, France Stefano Osnaghi ICI - Berlin Christinenstraße 18-19 10119, Berlin, Germany Abstract. We point out and analyze some striking analogies between Kant's transcendental method in philosophy and Bohr's approach of the fundamental issues raised by quantum mechanics. We argue in particular that some of the most controversial aspects of Bohr's views, as well as the philosophical concerns that led him to endorse such views, can naturally be understood along the lines of Kant's celebrated `Copernican' revolution in epistemology. 1 Introduction Contrary to received wisdom, Bohr's views on quantum mechanics did not gain uni- versal acceptance among physicists, even during the heyday of the so-called `Copen- hagen interpretation' (spanning approximately between 1927 and 1952). The `ortho- dox' approach, generally referred to as `the Copenhagen interpretation', was in fact a mixture of elements borrowed from Heisenberg, Dirac, and von Neumann, with a few words quoted from Bohr and due reverence for his pioneering work, but with no unconditional allegiance to his ideas [Howard2004][Camilleri2009]. Bohr's physical insight was, of course, never overtly put into question. Yet many of his colleagues found his reflections about the epistemological status of theoretical schemes, as well as his considerations on the limits of the representations employed by science, ob- scure and of little practical moment { in a word: too philosophical.1 In addition, it proved somehow uneasy to reach definite conclusions as to the true nature of this philosophy.