Abstract
Bachelard's concept of the problématique is used in order to classify physical problems and their interrelations. This classification is effectuated along two ‘dimensions’. Along the “horizontal dimension”, physical problems are divided into the kinds that the different modes of physics' development define. These modes are themselves determined by the interplay among the conceptual system, the object and the experimentation transactions specific to physics. Along the “vertical dimension”, physical problems are classified according to the different stages of ‘maturation’ they have to undergo before the process of their solution is effectively undertaken. To determine these ‘maturation’ stages, the Althusserian conception of ideology is used. The interrelations between physical problems are examined through the introduction and elaboration of the notion “interdependence network”.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Althusser, L.: 1965, Pour Marx, Maspéro, Paris (English translation: 1968: For Marx, Allen Lane, The Penguin Press, London).
Althusser, L.: 1971, ‘Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses’, in his Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays, NLB, London.
Althusser, L.: 1974, Philosophie et Philosophie Spontanée des Savants, Maspéro, Paris.
Althusser, L., Rancière, J., Macherey, P., Balibar, E., and Establet, R.: 1965, Lire le Capital, 2 Vols., Maspéro, Paris. Reissued in 4 Vols. in 1971 in Petite Collection Maspéro. English translation including only the contributions of Althusser and Balibar: 1968, Reading Capital, NLB, London.
Balibar, E.: 1978, ‘From Bachelard to Althusser: The Concept of ‘Epistemological Break’’, Economy and Society 7(3), 207–37.
Baltas, A.: 1987, ‘Ideological ‘Assumptions’ in Physics: Social Determinations of Internal Structures’, in A. Fine and P. Machamer (eds.), PSA 1986, Vol. 2, Philosophy of Science Association, East Lansing MI.
Baltas, A.: 1988, ‘The Structure of Physics as a Science’, in D. Batens and J. P. van Bendegem (eds.), Theory and Experiment, D. Reidel, Dordrecht.
Baltas, A.: 1989, ‘Louis Althusser and Joseph D. Sneed: A Strange Encounter in Philosophy of Science?’ in K. Gavroglou, Y. Goudaroulis and P. Nicolacopoulos (eds.), Imre Lakatos and Theories of Scientific Change, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
Baltas, A.: 1990, ‘Once Again on the Meaning of Physical Concepts’, in P. Nicolacopoulos (ed.), Greek Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
Feyerabend, P.: 1978, Against Method, Verso Editions, London.
Freudenthal, G.: 1986, Atom and Individual in the Age of Newton, D. Reidel, Dordrecht.
Gavroglou, K.: 1985, ‘Popper's Tetradic Schema, Progressive Research Programs, and the Case of Parity Violation in Elementary Particle Physics 1935–1958’, Zeitschrift für allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie, XV(2), 261–86.
Gavroglou, K.: 1986, ‘Recent Evidence and Further Comments on Parity Violation’, Historia Scientiarum No. 31, pp. 115–23.
Gavroglou, K. and Goudaroulis, Y.: 1989, Concepts out of Context(s): The Development of Low Temperature Physics 1881–1957, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht.
Lakatos, I.: 1976, Proofs and Refutations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Laudan, L.: 1977, Progress and its Problems, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.
Morawetz, T.: 1980, Wittgenstein and Knowledge, The Harvester Press, Sussex, England.
Nickles, T.: 1981, ‘What is a Problem that we May Solve it?’, Synthese 47, 85–118.
Nickles, T.: 1988, ‘Reconstructing Science: Discovery and Experiment’, in D. Batens and J. P. van Bendegem (eds.), Theory and Experiment, D. Reidel, Dordrecht.
Pera, M.: 1987, ‘From Methodology to Dialectics: A post-Cartesian Approach to Scientific Rationality’ in A. Fine and P. Machamer (eds.), PSA 1986, Vol. 2, Philosophy of Science Association, East Lansing MI.
Pera, M.: 1988, ‘Breaking the Link between Methodology and Rationality. A Plea for Rhetoric in Scientific Inquiry’, in D. Batens and J. P. van Bendegem (eds.), Theory and Experiment, D. Reidel, Dordrecht.
Wittgenstein, L.: 1972, On Certainty, Harper and Row, New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
It is a pleasure to thank Marcello Pera and Kostas Gavroglou for their very helpful comments and criticisms.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baltas, A. On some structural aspects of physical problems. Synthese 89, 299–320 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00413911
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00413911