Logical Empiricism and the Physical Sciences

This volume has two primary aims: to trace the traditions and changes in methods, concepts, and ideas that brought forth the logical empiricists' philosophy of physics, and to analyze the logical empiricists' various and occasionally contrary ideas about the physical sciences and their philosophical relevance.

Autorentext

Sebastian Lutz is senior lecturer of theoretical philosophy at Uppsala University. He works on philosophy of science, philosophical methodology, and the history of logical empiricism.

Adam Tamas Tuboly is postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, MTA BTK Lendület Morals and Science Research Group, and a research fellow at the Institute of Transdisciplinary Discoveries, Medical School, University of Pécs. He works on the history of logical empiricism and philosophy of science.

Inhalt

1 Introduction: From Philosophy of Nature to Philosophy of Physics 1

SEBASTIAN LUTZ AND ADAM TAMAS TUBOLY

PART 1

The Rise of Philosophy of Physics 19

2 The Electromagnetic Way to the Scientific World-Conception: Maxwell's Equations at the Service of Logical Empiricism 21

JORDI CAT

3 Kurt Grelling and the Idiosyncrasy of the Berlin Logical Empiricism 64

NIKOLAY MILKOV

4 The Selection of Facts in Poincaré and Neurath 84

KATHERINE DUNLOP

5 The Philosopher Physicists: Albert Einstein and Philipp Frank 121

DON HOWARD

6 On the Empirical Refutation of Epistemological Doctrine in Hans Reichenbach's Early Philosophy 157

ALAN RICHARDSON

PART 2

The Philosophy of Physical Theories 179

7 Carnap, Einstein, and the Empirical Foundations of Space-Time Geometry 181

ROBERT DISALLE

8 Einstein, General Relativity, and Logical Empiricism 198

THOMAS RYCKMAN

9 'Geometrization of Physics' Vs. 'Physicalization of Geometry'. The Untranslated Appendix to Reichenbach's Philosophie der Raum-Zeit-Lehre 224

MARCO GIOVANELLI

10 Did Logical Positivism Influence the Early Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics? 262

JAN FAYE AND RASMUS JAKSLAND

11 Why Moritz Schlick's View on Causality Is Rooted in a Specific Understanding of Quantum Mechanics 283

RICHARD DAWID

12 The Legacy of Logical Empiricism 295

CLARK GLYMOUR

PART 3

General Philosophy of Physics 313

13 Probability Theory as a Natural Science: Richard von Mises' Frequentism 315

MARIA CARLA GALAVOTTI

14 From Physical Possibility to Probability and Back: Reichenbach's Account of Coordination 336

FLAVIA PADOVANI

15 Two Constants in Carnap's View on Scientific Theories 354

SEBASTIAN LUTZ

16 From the Periphery to the Center: Nagel, Feigl, and Hempel

379 MATTHIAS NEUBER

17 Understanding Metaphysics and Understanding Through Metaphysics: Philipp Frank on Scientific Theories and Their Domestication

401 ADAM TAMAS TUBOLY