“Philosophysics” at the University of Vienna: The (Pre-)History of Foundations of Quantum Physics in the Viennese Cultural Context

IF 0.1 3区哲学 Q4 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Physics in Perspective Pub Date : 2022-10-17 DOI:10.1007/s00016-022-00290-y

Flavio Del Santo, Emanuel Schwarzhans

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Vienna today is one of the capitals of research on foundations of quantum physics. We reconstruct the development of modern physics in Vienna, with a focus on foundations of quantum mechanics (FQM), which is a sub-field of quantum mechanics. We show that the influence of Erwin Schrödinger and, in more recent years, the initiatives of Anton Zeilinger—the two main intuitive reasons—cannot alone account for today’s outstanding research landscape on FQM in Vienna. We highlight four additional factors that played a crucial role in the development of foundational research in Vienna: 1) the Viennese heritage of the cultural golden age just before World War II; 2) the long-lasting institutional connection between the faculty of physics and philosophy; 3) a rise of several initiatives that gave forum to the interplay of physics and philosophy; and 4) the influence of several external scholars in the Viennese scientific landscape. Our analysis is informed by interviews with the most pertinent scientists, a detailed survey of the relevant social networks, and review of the main primary literature.

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维也纳大学的“哲学”:维也纳文化背景下量子物理学基础的(前)历史

今天的维也纳是量子物理学基础研究的首都之一。我们重建现代物理学在维也纳的发展，重点是量子力学的基础(FQM)，这是量子力学的一个子领域。我们表明，Erwin Schrödinger的影响，以及近年来Anton zeilinger的倡议，这两个主要的直观原因，并不能单独解释今天维也纳FQM的杰出研究景观。我们强调了在维也纳基础研究发展中发挥关键作用的另外四个因素:1)第二次世界大战前维也纳文化黄金时代的遗产;2)物理系与哲学系之间长期的制度联系;3)为物理学和哲学的相互作用提供论坛的一些倡议的兴起;4)几位外部学者对维也纳科学景观的影响。我们的分析是通过对最相关的科学家的采访，对相关社会网络的详细调查，以及对主要原始文献的回顾。

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来源期刊

Physics in Perspective 物理-科学史与科学哲学

CiteScore

0.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Physics in Perspective seeks to bridge the gulf between physicists and non-physicists through historical and philosophical studies that typically display the unpredictable as well as the cross-disciplinary interplay of observation, experiment, and theory that has occurred over extended periods of time in academic, governmental, and industrial settings and in allied disciplines such as astrophysics, chemical physics, and geophysics. The journal also publishes first-person accounts by physicists of significant contributions they have made, biographical articles, book reviews, and guided tours of historical sites in cities throughout the world. It strives to make all articles understandable to a broad spectrum of readers – scientists, teachers, students, and the public at large. Bibliographic Data Phys. Perspect. 1 volume per year, 4 issues per volume approx. 500 pages per volume Format: 15.5 x 23.5cm ISSN 1422-6944 (print) ISSN 1422-6960 (electronic)