-
48The Logical Analysis of Quantum Mechanics. Erhard Scheibe, J. B. Sykes (review)Philosophy of Science 42 (1): 96-100. 1975.
-
44The role of a posteriori mathematics in physicsStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 62 166-175. 2018.
-
3The Role of Conceptual and Linguistic FrameworksProceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 43 24-43. 1969.
-
19The problem of scientific realismAppleton-Century-Crofts. 1972.Aristotele. Science as a systematic explanation through causes.--Newton, I. Rules and reflections on scientific reasoning.--Carnap, R. Empiricism, semantics, and ontology.--Hempel, C. On the logic of explanation.--Nagel, E. The realist view of theories.--Quine, W. V. On the role of logic in explanation.--Harris, E. E. Method and explanation in metaphysics.--Einstein, A. Remarks on Bertrand Russell's theory of knowledge.--Sellars, W. The language of theories.--MacKinnon, E. Atomic physics and rea…Read more
-
729Why Interpret Quantum Physics?Open Journal of Philosophy 6 (1): 86-102. 2016.This article probes the question of what interpretations of quantum mechanics actually accomplish. In other domains, which are briefly considered, interpretations serve to make alien systematizations intelligible to us. This often involves clarifying the status of their implicit ontology. A survey of interpretations of non-relativistic quantum mechanics supports the evaluation that these interpretations make a contribution to philosophy, but not to physics. Interpretations of quantum field theor…Read more
-
8Interpreting Bodies: Classical and Quantum Objects in Modern Physics. Elena CastellaniIsis 92 (1): 209-210. 2001.
-
11Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics by Bernard d'Espagnat (review)Isis 91 428-429. 2000.
-
7Atoms, Metaphors, and Paradoxes: Niels Bohr and the Construction of a New Physics by Sandro Petruccioli (review)Isis 86 515-515. 1995.
-
30The Nature of Physical Knowledge (review)Modern Schoolman 39 (3): 269-272. 1962.A review of a book bu L. W. Friedrich, S. J.
-
54Review of From c-Numbers to q-Numbers: The Classical History of Quantum Theory by Olivier Darrigol (review)Philosophy of Science 62 (2): 348-350. 1995.
-
13Models as Mediators: Perspectives on Natural and Social Science by Mary S. Morgan; Margaret Morrison (review)Isis 92 642-643. 2001.
-
24Epistemological Problems in the Philosophy of Science, IReview of Metaphysics 22 (1). 1968.The revolt against logical positivism within the philosophy of science has now lasted long enough to produce something of a counter-revolution. As the more strident charges (positivistic analyses misrepresent the most fundamental features of the scientific enterprise and have contributed little or nothing to its clarification) and counter-charges (any attempt to induce a philosophy of science from studies in the history of science rests on a massive genetic fallacy) gradually subside, critical i…Read more
-
49A reinterpretation of Harre's copernican revolutionPhilosophy of Science 42 (1): 67-79. 1975.Rom Harré's proposed Copernican Revolution in the philosophy of science is a very ambitious undertaking. It challenges established views, proposes a radically new model for scientific explanation, and forces a rethinking of the foundations of the field. In his treatment of the natural sciences, Harré rejects all deductivist accounts of scientific explanation basically on the grounds that such accounts seriously distort the methods of explanation actually operative in science. In the social scien…Read more
-
246The truth of scientific claimsPhilosophy of Science 49 (3): 437-462. 1982.The idea that science aspires to and routinely achieves truths about the world has been challenged in recent writings. Rather than beginning with a theory of scientific development, or of scientific explanation, we begin with a consideration of truth claims in ordinary discourse, particularly with Davidson's truth-functional semantics. Next we consider the way in which some framework features of ordinary language discourse are extended to and modified in scientific discourse. Two areas are treat…Read more
-
393The consistent histories reformulation of quantum mechanics was developed by Robert Griffiths, given a formal logical systematization by Roland Omn\`{e}s, and under the label `decoherent histories', was independently developed by Murray Gell-Mann and James Hartle and extended to quantum cosmology. Criticisms of CH involve issues of meaning, truth, objectivity, and coherence, a mixture of philosophy and physics. We will briefly consider the original formulation of CH and some basic objections. Th…Read more
-
40Niels Bohr on the Unity of SciencePSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1980 224-244. 1980.Niels Bohr began his career with an attempt to give a correct descriptive account of the motion of electrons. When forced to abandon this interpretation, he adopted, but soon rejected, a hypothetical-deductive account. In his development of an interpretation for the new quantum theory Bohr began to concentrate on the way language functions to make descriptions possible. His later work on this problem and on the role of concepts in the foundations of science led him to anticipate some of the basi…Read more
-
20Images of Science: Essays on Realism and Empiricism by Paul M. Churchland; Clifford A. Hooker; Bas C. van Fraassen (review)Isis 77 116-117. 1986.
-
112Schwinger and the ontology of quantum field theoryFoundations of Science 12 (4): 295-323. 2007.An epistemological interpretation of quantum mechanics hinges on the claim that the distinctive features of quantum mechanics can be derived from some distinctive features of an observational basis. Old and new variations of this theme are listed. The program has a limited success in non-relativistic quantum mechanics. The crucial issue is how far it can be extended to quantum field theory without introducing significant ontological postulates. A C*-formulation covers algebraic quantum field the…Read more
-
121Philosophical interpretations of theories generally presuppose that a theory can be presented as a consistent mathematical formulation that is interpreted through models. Algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) can fit this interpretative model. However, standard Lagrangian quantum field theory (LQFT), as well as quantum electrodynamics and nuclear physics, resists recasting along such formal lines. The difference has a distinct bearing on ontological issues. AQFT does not treat particle interacti…Read more
-
65Bohr and the realism debatesIn Jan Faye & Henry J. Folse (eds.), Niels Bohr and Contemporary Philosophy, Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 279--302. 1994.This article clarifies Bohr's position by focusing on the work he did in nuclear physics and scattering theory.
-
30The Development of Kant's Conception of Scientific ExplanationPSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1978. 1978.In the course of his long development, Kant's concept of matter changed somewhat, while his concept of scientific explanation changed considerably. Both developments achieved a coherent integration in Kant's Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science. Using this developmental background, the present paper argues that the Foundations should be interpreted as an attempted rational reconstruction of the mechanics of Newton and Euler. Kant attempted to do this by constructing a concept of matter th…Read more
-
12Pauli’s Exclusion Principle: The Origin and Validation of a Scientific Principle (review)Isis 97 773-774. 2006.
-
10Eugene D. Mayers 1915-2007Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 81 (2). 2007.A memorial notice
-
-
Boston CollegeRetired faculty
Saint Louis University
PhD, 1959
Hayward, California, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Mind |
Philosophy of Physical Science |
General Philosophy of Science |