Ebook: The Philosophy Behind Physics

Thomas Brody had one of the most powerful and wide-ranging intellects of his generation. Although primarily a physicist who worked on statistical prob­ lems in nuclear physics, on probability theory and on computational physics he had an extensive knowledge of the philosophy of science and of philosophy, and was fluent in many languages. He is well-known among physicists for the Brody-Moshinsky transformation but his extensive work on probability and on the philosophy of science remained almost unknown. This was because the originality of his ideas entailed many lengthy battles with uncomprehending referees, and he frequently published in Mexican journals of limited circula­ tion. In addition, his strongly critical spirit inhibited his willingness to publish his ideas. He was always most concerned by the very unsatisfactory situation in the philosophy of physics, that is largely due to the generally poor knowledge that physicists and philosophers have of each other's disciplines. Philosophers of science write at length about physics without any detailed first-hand knowl­ edge of how research is actually carried out. Physicists, for their part, often implicitly assume naive or erroneous philosophical ideas, and this often hinders their scientific work, besides spreading further confusion if they try to give an account of what they are doing.

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Thomas Brody (1922-1988) was concerned to remove the barriers between physics and philosophy by discovering the philosophy implicit in the actual process of scientific research. In particular, he developed a theory of epistemic cycles to explain how it is that we come to know things. Publication of his views on quantum mechanics was frequently blocked by the establishment, still anaesthetized by the Copenhagen interpretation, and so his work has remained relatively unknown. This book describes his ideas on the philosophy of physics, particularly the philosophical problems of quantum mechanics including the ensemble concept of probability, causality, realism, quantum logic and Bell's inequalities. This challenging work will appeal to all opend-minded students of science and its philosophy.

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Thomas Brody (1922-1988) was concerned to remove the barriers between physics and philosophy by discovering the philosophy implicit in the actual process of scientific research. In particular, he developed a theory of epistemic cycles to explain how it is that we come to know things. Publication of his views on quantum mechanics was frequently blocked by the establishment, still anaesthetized by the Copenhagen interpretation, and so his work has remained relatively unknown. This book describes his ideas on the philosophy of physics, particularly the philosophical problems of quantum mechanics including the ensemble concept of probability, causality, realism, quantum logic and Bell's inequalities. This challenging work will appeal to all opend-minded students of science and its philosophy.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XII
Introduction....Pages 1-4
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
The Active Epistemology....Pages 7-17
Higher-Level Epistemic Cycles....Pages 18-24
Systems and Experiments....Pages 25-39
The Structure of Theories....Pages 40-59
Induction and the Scope of Theories....Pages 60-79
The Incommensurability of Theories....Pages 80-83
A Minimal Ontology for Scientific Research....Pages 84-94
The Determinisms of Physics....Pages 95-104
Front Matter....Pages 105-105
The Nature of Probability....Pages 107-121
The Ensemble Interpretation of Probability....Pages 122-135
The Philosophy of Ensemble Probability....Pages 136-138
On Errors and Approximations....Pages 139-156
Front Matter....Pages 157-157
Problems and Promises of the Ensemble Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 159-184
Probability and the Way Out of the Great Quantum Muddle....Pages 185-196
Are Hidden Variables Possible?....Pages 197-204
The Bell Inequality I: Joint Measurability....Pages 205-222
The Bell Inequality II: Locality....Pages 223-230
The Irrelevance of the Bell Inequality....Pages 231-238
Measurement and State Representation....Pages 239-246
Front Matter....Pages 157-157
On Quantum Logic....Pages 247-266
Resistance to Change in the Sciences: The Case of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 267-275
Front Matter....Pages 277-277
Epistemological Implications of Artificial Intelligence....Pages 279-291
Artificial Intelligence: Possibilities and Realities, Hopes and Dangers....Pages 292-309
Philosophy and Physicists....Pages 310-317
The Axiomatic Approach in Physics....Pages 318-337
Back Matter....Pages 339-356

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Thomas Brody (1922-1988) was concerned to remove the barriers between physics and philosophy by discovering the philosophy implicit in the actual process of scientific research. In particular, he developed a theory of epistemic cycles to explain how it is that we come to know things. Publication of his views on quantum mechanics was frequently blocked by the establishment, still anaesthetized by the Copenhagen interpretation, and so his work has remained relatively unknown. This book describes his ideas on the philosophy of physics, particularly the philosophical problems of quantum mechanics including the ensemble concept of probability, causality, realism, quantum logic and Bell's inequalities. This challenging work will appeal to all opend-minded students of science and its philosophy.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XII
Introduction....Pages 1-4
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
The Active Epistemology....Pages 7-17
Higher-Level Epistemic Cycles....Pages 18-24
Systems and Experiments....Pages 25-39
The Structure of Theories....Pages 40-59
Induction and the Scope of Theories....Pages 60-79
The Incommensurability of Theories....Pages 80-83
A Minimal Ontology for Scientific Research....Pages 84-94
The Determinisms of Physics....Pages 95-104
Front Matter....Pages 105-105
The Nature of Probability....Pages 107-121
The Ensemble Interpretation of Probability....Pages 122-135
The Philosophy of Ensemble Probability....Pages 136-138
On Errors and Approximations....Pages 139-156
Front Matter....Pages 157-157
Problems and Promises of the Ensemble Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 159-184
Probability and the Way Out of the Great Quantum Muddle....Pages 185-196
Are Hidden Variables Possible?....Pages 197-204
The Bell Inequality I: Joint Measurability....Pages 205-222
The Bell Inequality II: Locality....Pages 223-230
The Irrelevance of the Bell Inequality....Pages 231-238
Measurement and State Representation....Pages 239-246
Front Matter....Pages 157-157
On Quantum Logic....Pages 247-266
Resistance to Change in the Sciences: The Case of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 267-275
Front Matter....Pages 277-277
Epistemological Implications of Artificial Intelligence....Pages 279-291
Artificial Intelligence: Possibilities and Realities, Hopes and Dangers....Pages 292-309
Philosophy and Physicists....Pages 310-317
The Axiomatic Approach in Physics....Pages 318-337
Back Matter....Pages 339-356
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