Socially determined acausal quantum mechanics: Critical Review

Jane Cronin

Favio Cala Vitery, Tadeo Lozano, Stefan Pohl-Valero

InhisarticleentitledWeimarCulture;CausalityandQuantumTheory,19181927:AdaptationbyGermanPhysiciststoaHostileIntellectualEnvironment,PaulFormanintendedtodepictahistoryoftheoldquantummechanicsaccordingtowhichcontemporaryculturalinfluenceturnedouttobe decisiveintheintroduction,acceptanceandassimilationofacausalitywithin the theory.ThesestatementsnknownastheFormanthesisnareplacedin historiographic perspective; i.e. their importance is shown using the frameworkprovidedbythecharacteristictensionsofhistoriographyandphilo

Miriam Lipschütz-Yevick

Favio Ernesto Cala Vitery, Stefan Pohl-Valero

In his article entitled Weimar Culture; Causality and Quantum Theory, 1918- 1927: Adaptation by German Physicists to a Hostile Intellectual Environment, Paul Forman intended to depict a history of the old quantum mechanics according to which contemporary cultural influence turned out to be decisive in the introduction, acceptance and assimilation of acausality within the theory? These statements known as the Forman thesis are placed in historiographic perspective; i.e. their importance is shown using the framework provided by the characteristic tensions of historiography and philosophy of science. It is argued that the dilemma of determinism is essential in this discussion. Finally, a brief critical review of the Forman thesis is offered emphasizing some of its major weaknesses not previously discussed in the literature

Rob Clifton

Abstract On the orthodox (Dirac­von Neumann) interpretation1 of quantum mechanics, an observable has a determinate (definite, sharp) value for a system in a given quantum state if and only if the state is an eigenstate of the observable. So, the orthodox interpretation selects a particular set of observables that have determinate values in a given quantum state; equivalently, a particular set of idempotent observables or propositions, represented by projection operators, Thanks to Guido Bacciagaluppi and Michael Dickson for helpful critical comments on a draft version of the paper. R. C. would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for research support.