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Analysis and Interpretation in the Philosophy of Modern Physics

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Analysis and Interpretation in the Exact Sciences

Part of the book series: The Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science ((WONS,volume 78))

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Abstract

William Demopoulos identified a particular kind of “conceptual analysis” as a central achievement of the analytic tradition in philosophy, with far-reaching implications for the philosophy of mathematics and the mathematical sciences. I present an overview of this notion of conceptual analysis, the part that it has played in the construction and interpretation of physical theory, and its implications for some general questions about the relation between formal theories and experience.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See also Chapter 7, this volume.

  2. 2.

    See Helmholtz (1870) and Poincaré (1902, chapter 4); see also DiSalle (2006, chapter 3).

  3. 3.

    This is a brief outline of an argument that is elaborated at length in DiSalle (2006), Chapter 4, and DiSalle (2010).

  4. 4.

    See Bub (2005) and this volume, below, for a particularly illuminating discussion of Einstein’s distinction and its contemporary relevance.

  5. 5.

    Bub (2005) articulates the lessons that can be learned for the interpretation of quantum mechanics from Minkowski’s interpretation of relativity. For a contrary view, see Brown and Timpson (2006).

  6. 6.

    For a detailed and illuminating treatment of this subject, here only sketched, see Frappier (2004).

  7. 7.

    Flores (1999) clarifies many aspects of Einstein’s distinction by re-formulating it as the distinction between “framework” and “interaction” theories, a formulation that not only captures key aspects of relativity and quantum mechanics, but also their kinship with Newtonian mechanics as a theory of the same type.

  8. 8.

    See Brown (2005) and Brown and Timpson (2006). But see Hagar (2008) for a response to Brown.

  9. 9.

    The constructive interpretation of relativity is expressed in Brown (2005). For opposing views, see Norton (2008) and Janssen (2008).

  10. 10.

    See Bub and Pitowsky (2010) for a useful discussion of this problem.

  11. 11.

    See also Brown (2005), chapter 5.

  12. 12.

    See Chapter 12 , this volume, and Demopoulos (2011a).

  13. 13.

    See DiSalle (2002) for further discussion of the contrast between the view presented here and the views of the logical positivists.

  14. 14.

    For further discussion and context, see also Demopoulos and Friedman (1985).

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my co-editors, Mélanie Frappier and Derek H. Brown, for their tireless work on this volume, taking on rather more than the lion’s share of the editorial tasks, and thereby making it possible for me to complete this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Robert DiSalle

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  1. Robert DiSalle
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Correspondence to Robert DiSalle .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , History of Science and Technology Progra, University of King's College, Coburg Rd. 6350, Halifax, B3H 2A1, Canada

    Melanie Frappier

  2. , Philosophy, Brandon University, 18th St 270, Brandon, R7A 6A9, Canada

    Derek Brown

  3. , Philosophy, University of Western Ontario, London, N6A 5B8, Canada

    Robert DiSalle

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DiSalle, R. (2012). Analysis and Interpretation in the Philosophy of Modern Physics. In: Frappier, M., Brown, D., DiSalle, R. (eds) Analysis and Interpretation in the Exact Sciences. The Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science, vol 78. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2582-9_1

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