Edward MacKinnon

This article completes the study begun in I by a detailed consideration of errol harris's, "the foundations of metaphysics in science" and by an independent interpretation of the epistemological foundations of scientific theories. This is done in terms of two components labelled 'a physical language' and 'a mathematical language'. A physical language is conceived as a transformed extension of ordinary language which preserves its basic structural principles while modifying its descriptive metaphysics. The relation between such a physical language and a mathematical system is explained by a correspondence between second order physical predicates and first order mathematical predicates

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 theory, but not the standard model. Julian Schwinger’s anabatic methodology extended a strict measurement-based formulation of quantum mechanics through field theory. His extension also excluded the quark hypothesis and the standard model. Quarks and local gauge invariance are postulates that go beyond the limits of an epistemological interpretation of quantum mechanics. The ontological significance ascribed to these advances depends on the role accorded ontology.