Semantic Realism: A New Philosophy for Quantum Physics

Claudio Garola, Luigi Solombrino

Claudio Garola, Jarosław Pykacz, Sandro Sozzo

Junqi Wang

The quantum space is both an important part of quantum mechanics and the core problem in the philosophy of quantum mechanics. Because the quantum objects, such as electron and photon, always moves at the speed close to that of light, it is inevitable to involve the inseparability between space and time and discuss the 4-dimensional space-time. In order to investigate the essence of space-time, we must approach to the realm of physical philosophy and discuss the core problem, i.e. the realism in the space-time theories. In this paper, we, combined the semantic and contextual analysis, analyze the development of realism in the development of quantum space-time theory.

Patrick A. Heelan

This book deals with the 'crisis of objectivity' and the 'crisis of realism' which overtook physics when Heisenberg and Bohr consciously rejecting the intentionality-structure of classical physics, gave physics a new form and a new philosophy. The new physics was called quantum mechanics and the new philosophy was called complimentarity. Using the method 'analysis of horizons,' the author attempts to disentangle the epistemological and ontological pesuppositions of Heisenberg's view of complementarity. A similar analysis of Bohr's view of complimentarity reveals a remarkable contrast in basic philosophy between the two founders of quantum physics. The author distinguishes various kinds of objectivity and realism and discusses critically the different aspects of the crisis that emerges in the quantum theory of measurement, the indeterminacy relations and in the statistical and causal structure of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg's formulation of the crisis is reduced to the underlying presuppositions of his thought. These presuppositions are criticised and shown to be defective. A more nuanced epistemological analysis reveals that quantum mechanics answers in a specially beautiful way to the full exigencies of the human mind and its knowledge of concrete reality.

Hans Herlof Grelland

Claudio Garola