The Chimerical Cat
Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics in Historical Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11924865 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen G Brush (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1980 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 393-447 |
| Publication date | 1980-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Studies of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-3127 • E-ISSN: 1460-3659 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/030631278001000401 |
| OpenAlex | W2129384652 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
The establishment of the Heisenberg-Schrodinger quantum mechanics in 1926 was undoubtedly the most important event m the history of twentieth-century science - for science itself, even if not for society. One might therefore suppose that the metaphysical conclusions associated with quantum mechanics are a major part of our present view of the world The purpose of this paper is to show that two of these conclusions - indeterminism, and the denial of independent reality to atomic properties - are not unique to quantum mechanics, but emerged as the culmination of historical trends begun m the nineteenth century It postulates cyclic oscillation between 'Romantic' and 'Realist' periods m science and culture, and ascribes a gradual breakdown of belief in determinism to debates about irreversibility. Albert Einstein's opposition to the 'Copenhagen Interpretation' of quantum mechanics was based on a preference for realism as much as a dislike for indeterminism, and the 'Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox' was a formidable challenge to subjectivist instrumentalism. Following the revival of realist interpretations m the 1950s, new experiments seem to have reconfirmed the subjectivist view But there is currently strong disagreement on what kind of subjectivism is scientifically legitimate; John Wheeler's version of the 'anthropic principle' and parapsychological explanations both conflict with the naive realism that has dominated the Western Intellectual tradition since the seventeenth century
Copenhagen interpretation · Determinism · Epistemology · Indeterminism · Interpretation (philosophy · Philosophy of science · Physics · Quantum · Quantum dynamics · Quantum mechanics · Realism · Scientific realism · Subjectivism · Philosophy · Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Realismo epistemológico, referencia y verosimilitud
Quantum dissidents
Philosophy enters the optics laboratory
The origin of the Everettian heresy
The Crisis in Physics
The Primacy of Science in Modernity, of Technology in Postmodernity, and of Ideology in the History of Technology
How Schrödinger’s Cat Became a Zombie
Mathematics and the Sociology of Knowledge
Dynamics of theory change in chemistry
Einstein and EPR
Humanistic Neuroscience, Mentality, and Spirituality
Kramers and the Forman Theses
| Citations per year | 0.27 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1982 - 2016 (35) |
| Highly cited | No |