In this discussion is intended to explore a philosophical point of view about quantum mechanics, proposing quantum chemistry as neo-science, this philosophical approach to our view is certainly much neglected in many textbooks. The importance of creating new concepts in chemistry and propose new methodological tools motivate to the scientist to create new concepts and interpretations in theoretical chemistry.
In this discussion is intended to explore a philosophical point of view about quantum mechanics, proposing quantum chemistry as neo-science, this philosophical approach to our view is certainly much neglected in many textbooks. The importance of creating new concepts in chemistry and propose new methodological tools motivate to the scientist to create new concepts and interpretations in theoretical chemistry.
Quantum chemistry is the branch of chemistry whose primary focus is the application of quantum mechanics to chemical systems at the molecular level. Precisely due to its peculiar position between chemistry and physics, in the last times it has begun to engage the interest of the philosophers of chemistry. Nevertheless, in this philosophical field, quantum chemistry has been studied mainly from a historical viewpoint or from a perspective interested on methodological issues. By contrast, the question that will guide this article is: what kind of ontic items are those studied by quantum chemistry? In order to develop the argumentation, first the relevance of the ontological questions will be addressed. Then, it will be considered in what measure the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and the quantum-chemistry concept of electron fit in the quantum theoretical context. Finally, some issues about what quantum chemistry refers to will be discussed.
This two-tier conference signals a new phase of philosophers' interest in quantum field theory, which has been growing noticeably in the last few years. However, some prominent physicists have shown their deep suspicions against ignorant philosophers' intrusion into their profession, and have expressed their hostility quite openly. In the philosophy community, some prominent philosophers of physics have also expressed their suspicions against the rationale of moving away from the profound foundational problems raised by Einstein and Bohr, Bohm and Bell, such as those concerning the nature of space-time and measurement, possibility and implications of hidden variables and nonlocality, and stepping into the technical complexity of quantum field theory, which is only an application of quantum mechanics in general without intrinsically distinct philosophical questions to be explored. In order to dispel these suspicions, it is desirable to highlight certain aspects of quantum field theory which require philosophical reflections and deserve further investigations. This discussion intends to suggest that philosophers can learn many important lessons from quantum field theory, and may be of some help in clarifying its conceptual foundations. At this stage of crisis that quantum field theory is experiencing now, the clarification may contribute to the radical transformation of our basic concepts in theoretical physics, which is necessary for a happy resolution of the crisis and the emergence of a new promising fundamental physical theory. Generally speaking, philosophers are interested in the metaphysical assumptions adopted by science and the world picture suggested by science.
Our thesis consists in analyzing, based on theories of the American quantum physicist David Bohm (1917-1992) and the Russian physical chemist, naturalized Belgian, Ilya Prigogine (1917-2003), the science ideas of these two scientists, how they represent authentic scientific views, quite deviating from the prevailing view of science, and also how their concepts contribute to overcoming long dichotomies that have been present in the history of science since a long time, such as determinism-indeterminism antithesis. Through a critical biographical analysis, we present the main aspects of scientific research work of Bohm, his formulation of an alternative interpretation of quantum theory, which has ignited debates and controversies within the world of quanta, his several theoretical contributions, including the theory of plasma, the development of an innovative theory called implicit and explicit order and also his philosophical investigations. We also present and analyze the scientific way of Prigogine and his theoretical interest in non-equilibrium thermodynamics. We show the fundamentals of his theory of dissipative structures, his unique insight into the irreversible phenomena and the most significant implications of this new view of nature and science that led him to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1977. Although several important differences between theoretical perspectives and Bohm and Prigogine approach, we noted some similar points that were quite significant, as a concept of science radically different from the prevailing idealized view. Among these similarities we have the search for a unity between man and nature, the importance given to the conception of science without dissociating it from the deepest philosophical questions and the concern about establishing more fruitful dialogues among areas of knowledge.
I distinguish two senses in which one can take a given physical theory to be `complete'. On the first, a complete physical theory is one that, in principle, completely describes physical reality. On the second, a complete physical theory is one that provides all of the conceptual resources one needs to describe any (in general probabilistic) physical phenomenon to any level of detail one likes, in principle. I argue that while the (neo-)Everettian approach to interpreting quantum mechanics aims to show that it is complete in the first sense, the (neo-)Bohrian approach begins from an understanding of quantum mechanics as being complete in the second sense. I then discuss some of the essential differences between how classical and quantum theory describe phenomena, and the way in which the quantum description can be thought of as a ``natural generalisation'' (to use Bohr's phrase) of the classical description. Finally, I elaborate upon the two visions of physics from which one can motivate the first and the second sense of completeness, respectively: \emph{metaphysical realism}, on the one hand, and what I will call \emph{methodological realism}, on the other -- and discuss what one can say about the significance of the differences between quantum and classical description from each of these points of view. I suggest that there is a sense in which the views of (neo-)Everett and the views of (neo-)Bohr can be understood to be mutually supporting positions, from their respective perspectives, even though they are diametrically opposed.
Philosophers mainly refer to quantum chemistry in order to address questions about the reducibility or autonomy of chemistry relative to quantum physics, and to argue for or against ontological emergence. To make their point, they scrutinize quantum approximations and formalisms as if they were independent of the questions at stake. This paper proposes a return to history and to the laboratory so as to emphasize how quantum chemists never cease to negotiate the relationships between a molecule, its parts, and its environment. This investigation will enable us to draw methodological conclusions about the role of history within philosophical studies, and to examine how quantum chemistry can clarify important philosophical and mereological issues relatedto the emergence/reduction debate, or to the way instruments and contexts are involved in the material making and the formal description of wholes and parts.
Quantum Chemistry provides a coherent and structured approach in introducing the concept of 'quantum' to the students of quantum mechanics. An attempt is made to bring out the subtleties of quantum mechanics, hidden in its abstract laws and equations, applicable to the atomic domain by showing its relevance to the observable macroscopic world as well. The book will help students dispel the stigma associated with quantum mechanics. The emphasis on conceptual approach provides a platform to stand on, and a stimulus to pursue higher quantum mechanics—the doorway to the all-pervasive quantum world. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Bhutan).