Bibliography on the History and Philosophy of Quantum Physics

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Bibliography on the History and Philosophy of Quantum Physics BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF QUANTUM PHYSICS Compiled by: DONALD RICHARD NILSON This bibliography brings together a large mass of works on the history and philosophy of quantum theory, the latter being emphasized. This emphasis on works concerned with the philosophy, rather than the his­ tory, of quantum physics is not indicated by pride of place, but rather by sheer volume of entries. It goes almost without saying that the large body of writings relevant to the study of the history and philosophy of quantum theory is by no means exhausted by the present listing, which consists of almost a thousand entries. Furthermore, many of the articles and books mentioned here do not fit neatly into the topical categories that I have chosen to use. I have included a limited amount of cross-referencing in order to compensate for this fact In some cases, and for the above reason, I have duplicated a few entries (e.g., Blokhintsev [43] and Blokhintsev [266]). Another nonstandard device utilized in this work is intentional deviations from alphabetical order. In a few cases rather than ordering works in a strictly alphabetical fashion, I have clustered articles which are closely related to one another. Many of these form the now overly familiar constellation of article, reply, rejoinder, and so on It is hoped that this device will save, rather than cost, time on the user's part Works on the philosophy of quantum physics which did not fit well into any of the other classifications are grouped together at the end of the bibliography in category XVII. Now for some procedural matters: the abbreviations QM (for quantum mechanics) and QL (for quantum logic) are used throughout. The refer­ ence numbers prefaced by the letter H indicate a work primarily on the history of quantum physics (e.g., Jammer [H-29]~ Other works are primarily of use in studying the philosophical foundations of QM. Finally, note that useful supplementary bibliographic material on the history of quantum theory may be found in Heilbron [H-9], a biblio­ graphic essay; in Kuhn et aL [H-IO]; and in Jammer [H-29], a virtual gold mine of footnotes. Additional bibliographies on the philosophy of quantum physics (and, incidentally, works of great value to me in the P. Suppes (ed.) , Logic and Probability in Quantum Mechanics, 457-520. All Rights Reserved Copyright © 1976 by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland 458 BIBLIOGRAPHY preparation of this bibliography) may be found in Bunge [5]; DeWitt & Graham [143]; Hooker [15] and [180]; and Scheibe [97], which is especially valuable on German works on QM On quantum measure­ ment, consult Reece [778]; and on QL also see Gudder [431]; Greechie & Gudder [525]; and Heelan [534]. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to Professor Wesley C. Salmon, of the University of Ari­ zona, for his encouragement and suggestions in the initial preparation of this bibliography. Without his continuing interest and support, I would not have undertaken the project. In addition, I am indebted to the following people for their much appreciated aid at various stages in the preparation of this work: Lu Burke, Rose Bode, David Pistolesi, James Kiersky, Brian Benson, Dennis Martin, and Diane Nilson. Emory University BIBLIOGRAPHY 459 CONTENTS HISTORY OF QUANTUM PHYSICS I. General and/or More Popularized Accounts of the Development of QT 460 II. Guides to Historical Source Material 460 III. The Old Quantum Theory and Its Background 460 IV. Quantum Mechanics 461 PHILOSOPHY OF QUANTUM THEORY 462 I. Philosophy and Physics 462 II. General Foundational and Philosophical Studies of Quantum Theory 464 III. Some Texts in Quantum Physics Relevant to Foundational Studies 468 IV. Anthologies with Writings on Quantum Theory 469 V. Interpretations ofQM 470 A. General 470 B. Bohr, Heisenberg, and the Copenhagen Interpretation 471 C. Complementarity 474 D. Statistical Interpretations 475 I. General 475 2. Margenau 476 3. Popper 476 4. Lande 477 E. Marxism and the Interpretation of QM 478 F. Phenomenology and the Interpretation ofQM 478 G. Process Philosophy and the Interpretation ofQM 479 H. Bohm, the Concept of Order, and the Interpretation of QM 479 I. Hidden-Variable Interpretations ofQM 480 J. The Many-Worlds Interpretation ofQM 480 K. Einstein on the Interpretation ofQM 481 L. The Einstein-Bohr Debate 481 VI. The Completeness Problem of QM 482 A. The E-P-R Paradox 482 B. Experiment and the E-P-R Paradox 484 C. Hidden Variables in QM 485 D. Experiments on Hidden Variable Theories 487 VII. Probability Theory and Quantum Theory 487 VIII. Quantum Logic 491 IX. Causality and Determinism in QM 500 X. Time and Energy in Quantum Physics 503 XI. The Observation and Measurement Problems of QM 503 A. The Observation Problem 503 B. The Measurement Problem 503 XII. 'Consciousness' and Quantum Theory 511 XIII. The Bearing of QM on the Question of Human Freedom 512 XIV. Axiomatic Foundations for QM 512 XV. The Uncertainty Relations 514 XVI. Faster-Than-Light Particles: The Question of Tachyons 515 XVII. Miscellaneous Topics in the Foundations ofQM 516 460 BIBLIOGRAPHY HISTORY OF QUANTUM PHYSICS I. GENERAL AND/OR MORE POPULARIZED ACCOUNTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUANTUM THEORY [H-l] Boorse, H. A., and Matz, L. (eds.) The World of the Atom. 2 volumes. New York: Basic Books, 1966. [H-2] Cline, B. Men Who Mack a New Physics: Physicists and the Quantum Theory. New York: New American Library, 1969. (Originally published by Crowell, New York, 1965, under the title The Questioners.) [H-3] Crombie, A. C. (ed.) Turning Points in Physics. New York: Harper Torchbook, 1961. [H-4] Cropper, W. The Quantum Physicists. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970. [H-S] D'Abro, A. The Rise of the New Physics. New York: Dover, 1951. [H-6] Guillemin, V. The Story of Quantum Mechanics. New York: Scribner's, 1968. [H-7] Heisenberg, W. Physics and Beyond: Encounters and Conversations. New York: Harper & Row, 1971. [H-8] Hund, F. The History of Quantum Theory. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1974. II. GUIDES TO HISTORICAL SOURCE MATERIAL [H-9] Heilbron, J. 'Quantum Historiography and the Archive for History of Quantum Physics'. History of Science 7 (1968): 90-111. This is an excellent, short, source guide; it is a good supplement to, and is much more extensive than, the present bibliography. [H-IO] Kuhn, T. S., Heilbron, J. L., Forman, P., and Allen, L. Sources for the History of Quantum Physics: An Inventory and Repert. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1967. See also DeWitt & Graham [143], Part I. III. THE OLD QUANTUM THEORY AND ITS BACKGROUND [R-ll] Anderson, D. L. The Discovery of the Electron. Princeton: Van Nostrand, 1964. [H-12] Bohr, N. On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules: Papers of 1913 Reprinted from the Philosophical Magazine (Introduction by L. Rosenfeld). Copenhagen: Munksgaard,1963. [H-l3] Heilbron, J. L. 'A History of the Problem of Atomic Structure from the Discovery of the Electron to the Beginnings of Quantum Mechanics'. UnpUblished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1964. BIBLIOGRAPHY 461 [H-14] Heilbron, J. L. 'The Scattering ofoc andf3 Particles and Rutherford's Atom'. Archive for the History of Exact Science 4 (1967): 247-307. [H-15] Heilbron, J. L. The Kossel-Sommerfeld Theory and the Ring Atom'. Isis 58 (1967): 451-485. [H-16] Heilbron, J. L., and Kuhn, T. S. 'The Genesis of the Bohr Atom'. Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 1 (1969): 211-290. [H-17] Hermann, A. The Genesis of Quantwn Theory: (1899-1913). Cambridge: M.LT. Press, 1971. [H-18] Hirosige, T., and Nixio, S. 'Formation of Bohr's Theory of Atomic Constitution'. Japanese Studies in the History of Science 3 (1964): 6-28. [H-19] Klein, M. J. 'Max Planck and the Beginnings of Quantum Theory'. Archivefor the History of Exact Science 1 (1962): 459-479. [H-20] Klein, M. J. Thermodynamics in Einstein's Thought'. Science 157 (1967): 509-516. [H-21] Klein, M. J. 'Einstein, Specific Heats, and the Early Quantum Theory'. Science 148 (1965): 173-180. [H-22] Klein, M. J. 'Einstein's First Paper on Quanta'. The Natural Philosopher 2 (1963): 57-86. [H-23] Klein, M. J. 'Einstein and Wave-Particle Duality'. The Natural Philosopher 3 (1964): 3-49. [H-24] Reiche, F. The Quantwn Theory. New York: Dutton, 1930. (First edition, in Ger­ man, was published 1922.) [H-25] Rosenfeld, L., 'La premiere phase de l'evolution de la theorie des quanta'. Osiris 2 (1936): 149-196. [H-26] Sommerfeld, A. Atombau und Spektrallinien. Braunschweig, 1919. (English trans­ lation of third edition: London, 1923.) [H-27] Ter Haar, D. (ed.) The Old Quantwn Theory. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1967. Con­ tains an essay by the editor on the development of the older quantum theory and also collects a few of the early papers of Planck, Rutherford, Bohr, and others. [H-28] Thomson, G. 'The Septuagenarian Electron'. Physics Today 20 (1967): 55-61. IV. QUANTUM MECHANICS [H-29] Jammer, M. The Conceptual Development of Quantwn Mechanics. New York: McGraw Hill, 1966. This is the best extended account of the history of quantum 462 BIBLIOGRAPHY physics published to date; it contains a wealth of references to original and secondary sources. [H-30] Hanson, N. R. The Concept of the Positron. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1963. [H-31] Ludwig, G. (ed.) Wave Mechanics. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1968. [H-32] Przibram, K. (ed.) Letters on Wave Mechanics. N.Y.: Philosophical Library, 1967. [H-33] Raman, V. V., and Forman, P. 'Why Was It Schrodinger Who Developed de Broglie's Ideas?' Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 1 (1969): 24IT. [H-34] Scott, W. T. E. Schrodinger: An Introduction to His Writings.
Recommended publications
  • Complementary & the Copenhagen Interpretation
    Complementarity and the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Click here to go to the UPSCALE home page. Click here to go to the Physics Virtual Bookshelf home page. Introduction Neils Bohr (1885 - 1962) was one of the giants in the development of Quantum Mechanics. He is best known for: 1. The development of the Bohr Model of the Atom in 1913. A small document on this topic is available here. 2. The principle of Complementarity, the "heart" of Bohr's search for the significance of the quantum idea. This principle led him to: 3. The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. In this document we discuss Complementarity and then the Copenhagen Interpretation. But first we shall briefly discuss the general issue of interpretations of Quantum Mechanics, and briefly describe two interpretations. The discussion assumes some knowledge of the Feynman Double Slit, such as is discussed here; it also assumes some knowledge of Schrödinger's Cat, such as is discussed here. Finally, further discussion of interpretations of Quantum Mechanics can be meaningfully given with some knowledge of Bell's Theorem; a document on that topic is here. The level of discussion in what follows is based on an upper-year liberal arts course in modern physics without mathematics given at the University of Toronto. In that context, the discussion of Bell's Theorem mentioned in the previous paragraph is deferred until later. A recommended reference on the material discussed below is: F. David Peat, Einstein's Moon (Contemporary Books, 1990), ISBN 0-8092-4512-4 (cloth), 0-8092-3965-5 (paper). Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics Although the basic mathematical formalism of Quantum Mechanics was developed independently by Heisenberg and Schrödinger in 1926, a full and accepted interpretation of what that mathematics means still eludes us.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Naïve Physics and Quantum Mechanics
    Naïve Physics and Quantum Mechanics: The Cognitive Bias of Everett’s Many-Worlds Interpretation Andrew SID Lang* and Caleb J Lutz Department of Computing and Mathematics, Oral Roberts University, USA *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Computing and Mathematics, 7777 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74171 USA. E-mail: [email protected] Keywords: cognitive bias, Everett’s interpretation, naïve physics, quantum mechanics Abstract: We discuss the role that intuitive theories of physics play in the interpretation of quantum mechanics. We compare and contrast naïve physics with quantum mechanics and argue that quantum mechanics is not just hard to understand but that it is difficult to believe, often appearing magical in nature. Quantum mechanics is often discussed in the context of "quantum weirdness" and quantum entanglement is known as "spooky action at a distance." This spookiness is more than just because quantum mechanics doesn't match everyday experience; it ruffles the feathers of our naïve physics cognitive module. In Everett's many- worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, we preserve a form of deterministic thinking that can alleviate some of the perceived weirdness inherent in other interpretations of quantum mechanics, at the cost of having the universe split into parallel worlds at every quantum measurement. By examining the role cognitive modules play in interpreting quantum mechanics, we conclude that the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics involves a cognitive bias not seen in the Copenhagen interpretation. Introduction Neils Bohr said of quantum mechanics, “Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.” [1] When one first learns about quantum mechanics, it appears to be a theory that cannot be describing reality.
    [Show full text]
  • Bacciagaluppi CV
    Guido Bacciagaluppi: Curriculum Vitae and List of Publications 1 December 2020 Born Milan (Italy), 24 August 1965. Italian citizen. Freudenthal Instituut Postbus 85.170 3508 AD Utrecht The Netherlands Email: [email protected] Tel.: +31 (0)30 253 5621 Fax: +31 (0)30 253 7494 Web: https://www.uu.nl/staff/GBacciagaluppi/Profile https://www.uu.nl/staff/GBacciagaluppi/Research https://www.uu.nl/staff/GBacciagaluppi/Teaching Research interests My main field of research is the philosophy of physics, in particular the philosophy of quantum theory, where I have worked on a variety of approaches, including modal interpretations (for my PhD), stochastic mechanics, Everett theory, de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory and spontaneous collapse theories, with a special interest in the theory of decoherence. Other special interests include time (a)symmetry, the philosophy of probability, issues in the philosophy of logic, and the topics of emergence, causation, and empiricism. I also work on the history of quantum theory and have co-authored three books on the topic, including a widely admired monograph on the 1927 Solvay conference, and I am a contributor to the recent revival of interest in the figure and work of Grete Hermann. Present positions Academic: • Utrecht University: Associate Professor (UHD1, scale 14), Freudenthal Institute, Departement of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, and Descartes Centre for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities, since September 2015. • SPHERE (CNRS, Paris 7, Paris 1), Paris: Associate Member since April 2015. • Foundational Questions Institute (http://fqxi.org/): Member since February 2015. • Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Techniques (CNRS, Paris 1, ENS), Paris: Associate Member since January 2007.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Art of Scientific Imagination
    On the Art of Scientific Imagination The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Holton, Gerald. 1996. On the Art of Scientific Imagination. Daedalus 125 (2): 183-208. Published Version https://www.jstor.org/stable/20013446? seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:40508269 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA NOTES FROM THE ACADEMY The text of addresses given at the Stated Meetings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences are generally printed in the Academy's Bulletin, distributed principally to Fellows and Foreign Honorary Members of the Academy. Because the Bulletin's format is not one designed to accommodate many detailed illustrations, and because the communication delivered by Professor Gerald Holton at the House of the Academy, like others recently given, raised such interest among those who heard it, a decision was made to make it more widely available through publication in the Academy's journal, Dadalus. This practice, followed very occasionally in the past, has much to recommend it and may be pursued more fre quently in the future. [S.R.G.] Gerald Holton On the Art of Scientific Imagination Wver HEN THE ACADEMY S PRESIDENT asked if I would speak on Saint Valentine's Day, I gladly accepted the honor.
    [Show full text]
  • The Most Dangerous Possible German Algis Valiunas
    Algis Valiunas David M. Buisán (instagram.com/davidmbuisan) 36 ~ The New Atlantis Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Print copies available at TheNewAtlantis.com/BackIssues. The Most Dangerous Possible German Algis Valiunas What trace of his earthly passage can a man of genius hope will remain after his death? For a great scientist, it is almost certainly a discovery that advances human understanding a step further from ignorance and con- fusion. To uncover some eternal truth that has been carefully concealed from ordinary sight by Nature or whatever gods there be, and to enjoy the lasting esteem accorded the world-altering thinkers — these are the motive forces behind the most serious and accomplished scientific lives. To one who opens new mental continents for further exploration, and exploitation, the supreme accolades rightly belong. Honor of this order is not a paltry thing. Yet John Milton called the craving for fame “that last infirmity of noble mind”; and while such infirmity might easily be forgiven poets, who are notorious for their moral weakness, we have become accustomed to thinking of scientists as free of such all-too-human frailties. Like Aristotle’s theoretical man in the Nicomachean Ethics, scientists are said to live for the unsurpassed pleasure of knowing the highest things in the universe, those that cannot be other than they are. This makes them god- like, so that they need nothing else — certainly not the glint of admiration or envy in other men’s eyes. And yet perfection is not to be expected even from the most high- minded among us.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Period Klaus Scharnhorst
    Photon-photon scattering and related phenomena. Experimental and theoretical approaches: The early period Klaus Scharnhorst To cite this version: Klaus Scharnhorst. Photon-photon scattering and related phenomena. Experimental and theoretical approaches: The early period. 2020. hal-01638181v4 HAL Id: hal-01638181 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01638181v4 Preprint submitted on 30 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. hhal-01638181i Photon-photon scattering and related phenomena. Experimental and theoretical approaches: The early period K. Scharnhorst† Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Abstract We review the literature on possible violations of the superposition prin- ciple for electromagnetic fields in vacuum from the earliest studies until the emergence of renormalized QED at the end of the 1940’s. The exposition covers experimental work on photon-photon scattering and the propagation of light in external electromagnetic fields and relevant theoretical work on non- linear electrodynamic theories (Born-Infeld theory and QED) until the year 1949. To enrich the picture, pieces of reminiscences from a number of (the- oretical) physicists on their work in this field are collected and included or appended.
    [Show full text]
  • Wherefore Quantum Mechanics?†
    Wherefore Quantum Mechanics?† Stephen Boughn⋇ Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ Departments of Physics and Astronomy, Haverford College, Haverford PA Abstract After the development of a self-consistent quantum formalism nearly a century ago, there ensued a quest to understand the often counterintuitive predictions of the theory. These endeavors invariably begin with the assumption of the truth of the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics and then proceed to investigate the theory’s implications for the physical world. One of the outcomes has been endless discussions of the quantum measurement problem, wave/particle duality, the non-locality of entangled quantum states, Schrödinger's cat, and other philosophical conundrums. In this essay, I take the point of view that quantum mechanics is a mathematical model, a human invention, and rather than pondering what the theory implies about our world, I consider the transposed question: what is it about our world that leads us to a quantum mechanical model of it? One consequence is the realization that discrete quanta, the quantum of action in particular, leads to the wave nature and statistical behavior of matter rather than the other way around. Preface Richard Feynman famously declared, “I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics.”1 Sean Carroll decried the persistence of this sentiment in a recent opinion piece entitled “Even Physicists Don’t Understand Quantum Mechanics: Worse, they don’t seem to want to understand it.”2 No one doubts the efficacy of quantum theory. The “understanding” to which these physicists refer is an acceptable ontology of the theoretical constructs of quantum mechanics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of Fact in German Physics Around 1900: a Comparison Between Mach and Einstein
    Phys. Perspect. © 2020 The Author(s). This article is an open access publication https://doi.org/10.1007/s00016-020-00256-y Physics in Perspective The Concept of Fact in German Physics around 1900: A Comparison between Mach and Einstein Elske de Waal and Sjang L. ten Hagen* The concept of “fact” has a history. Over the past centuries, physicists have appropriated it in various ways. In this article, we compare Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein’s interpreta- tions of the concept. Mach, like most nineteenth-century German physicists, contrasted fact and theory. He understood facts as real and complex combinations of natural events. Theories, in turn, only served to order and communicate facts efficiently. Einstein’s concept of fact was incompatible with Mach’s, since Einstein believed facts could be theoretical too, just as he ascribed mathematical theorizing a leading role in representing reality. For example, he used the concept of fact to refer to a generally valid result of experience. The differences we disclose between Mach and Einstein were symbolic for broader tensions in the German physics discipline. Furthermore, they underline the historically fluid character of the category of the fact, both within physics and beyond. Key words: Facts; Theory; Ernst Mach; Albert Einstein; Epistemology; Physics. Introduction In recent years, supporters of science have been on the barricades defending the authority of science and its facts. Among the slogans of the 2017 March for Science were expressions such as “trust scientific facts, not alternative facts” and “science is not an alternative fact” (figure 1). The message behind these slogans seems straightforward, but is actually complex when we realize that there have been and still are many different ideas about what a “fact” is.
    [Show full text]
  • Kantian and Neo-Kantian First Principles for Physical and Metaphysical Cognition
    Kantian and Neo-Kantian First Principles for Physical and Metaphysical Cognition Michael E. Cuffaroa, b a University of Western Ontario, Rotman Institute of Philosophy b Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy Abstract I argue that Immanuel Kant’s critical philosophy—in particular the doctrine of tran- scendental idealism which grounds it—is best understood as an ‘epistemic’ or ‘metaphilo- sophical’ doctrine. As such it aims to show how one may engage in the natural sciences and in metaphysics under the restriction that certain conditions are imposed on our cognition of objects. Underlying Kant’s doctrine, however, is an ontological posit, of a sort, regarding the fundamental nature of our cognition. This posit, sometimes called the ‘discursivity thesis’, while considered to be completely obvious and uncontroversial by some, has nevertheless been denied by thinkers both before and after Kant. One such thinker is Jakob Friedrich Fries, an early neo-Kantian thinker who, despite his re- jection of discursivity, also advocated for a metaphilosophical understanding of critical philosophy. As I will explain, a consequence for Fries of the denial of discursivity is a radical reconceptualisation of the method of critical philosophy; whereas this method is a priori for Kant, for Fries it is in general empirical. I discuss these issues in the context of quantum theory, and I focus in particular on the views of the physicist Niels Bohr and the Neo-Friesian philosopher Grete Hermann. I argue that Bohr’s understand- ing of quantum mechanics can be seen as a natural extension of an orthodox Kantian viewpoint in the face of the challenges posed by quantum theory, and I compare this with the extension of Friesian philosophy that is represented by Hermann’s view.
    [Show full text]
  • The Entanglement of Gender and Physics: Human Actors, Work Place Cultures, and Knowledge Production Helene Götschel
    Science Studies 1/2011 The Entanglement of Gender and Physics: Human Actors, Work place Cultures, and Knowledge Production Helene Götschel Research in an area that might be called gender and physics lies neither in the focus of science studies nor in the centre of gender studies. However, there is a rich tradition of interdisciplinary research that studies the entanglement of gender and physics from different perspectives. In this review article, I give a survey on this inadequately discussed research area by presenting selected examples of often-cited as well as internationally less known literature. Furthermore, I propose a systematisation of three different dimensions, comprising research on human actors, work place cultures, and knowledge production in physics. In so doing, I uncover some achievements and gaps of this interdisciplinary research. Following E. F. Keller (1995), I finally plea for a trading zone for scholars working on the entanglement of gender and physics. Keywords: Gender Studies, Gender and Physics, Systematisation Introducing Three Dimensions at natural and technological sciences. The of Analysis in Regards to research areas that study natural science Gender and Physics while stressing feminist and gender issues are often summarized as Gender and The body of this paper is a systematisation Science (e.g., Keller, 1995) or as Feminist of the existing literature on gender and Science Studies (e.g., Mayberry et al., 2001; physics, introducing research on human Wyer et al., 2001). Gender and science or actors, work place cultures, and knowledge feminist science studies can be understood production in physics. In providing this as a research field that covers research review I hope to indicate some of the less on women in natural and technological obvious ways in which physics is gendered.
    [Show full text]
  • Scanned Using Book Scancenter 5033
    15 The Wavefunction 15.1 Between release and detection In the previous chapter, we talked about finding the probability that a j ball released at point P would be detected at point Q. We found out _l‘ how to calculate this probability by assigning an appropriate amplitude arrow to each of the possible paths from P to Q, and then adding up ■ all the arrows. But, what happens if the ball is released at point P and then detected at some other point, say R? (See the figure below.) You know the procedure for finding this probability: enumerate paths from P to R, assign to each path an amplitude arrow using the formula on ^ page 104, and add up all the arrows. It is somewhat more difficult to execute this procedure for the P to R case than it was for the P to Q case, because it lacks the symmetry. Nevertheless it is clear that many of the f same features will apply to both processes: for example, in both cases the largest contribution to the sum amplitude arrow comes from a bundle of paths near the path of minimum length. You might find this problem * technically difficult, but it is conceptually straightforward and you could I do it if you had to. P U Q R T S I But we don’t have to stop here. We could consider having one detector 113 i i 114 15 The Wavefunctìon at Q and another detector at R at the same time. Indeed, we could sprinkle detectors all over the page, at points S, T, U, etc.
    [Show full text]