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Scientific Realism and the Quantum

科学实在论与量子

基本信息

批准号：
AH/L008955/1
负责人：
Juha Saatsi
金额：
$ 28.55万
依托单位：
University of Leeds
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2015
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2015 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FL008955%2F1
关键词：
Scientific Realism Quantum

项目摘要

Most of us share the 'scientific realist' belief that science provides us knowledge of the microscopic world that is unobservable to our naked senses. We can't see or directly observe molecules, atoms, or electromagnetic fields -- never mind quarks or the Higgs boson! But advanced physics, with its well-confirmed theories and impressive experimental instruments, is typically portrayed (in the mass media for example) as providing knowledge of the true nature of fundamental reality. The aim of this project is to evaluate the credentials of this scientific realist attitude in the context of quantum physics. Scientific realism, although widely shared, commonsensical, and supported by the success of science, has been viewed by many as a justified attitude towards fundamental science. Equally many have stepped up in defence of realism, and the debate between scientific realists and anti-realists has raged in the philosophy of science since the late 70s. Like much of philosophy, the debate has been largely conducted in very general and abstract terms, quite independently of specific scientific detail. Philosophers have advanced increasingly sophisticated arguments both for and against scientific realism on the basis of general considerations (involving, for example, radical theory-shifts in the history of science, on the one hand, and the impressive instrumental, explanatory, and predictive success of science, on the other). Recently philosophers have started to acknowledge the limitations of such general arguments and the importance of case-specific scientific details. But such case-specific study of scientific realism has yet to be done in connection with one of our most advanced sciences: quantum physics. This project fills this gap by systematically reconsidering the arguments for and against scientific realism in the light of quantum physics, its history and its current state of play. To do this we bring together researchers from general philosophy of science and philosophy of physics for fruitful interaction. We examine, first of all, the various ways in which the actual details of quantum physics matter to the realism debate. More specifically, we conduct a comparative evaluation of existing arguments both for and against scientific realism in light of specific features of quantum physics, clearly pinning down the prospects and problems of these arguments in this particular context. We also consider the possibility of advancing novel arguments for and against realism in the context of quantum physics. Secondly, we evaluate the extent and status of our knowledge of the quantum world in light of the realism debate by examining, in relation to realist positions that are defensible in this context, what we can claim to know about the various features of reality described by quantum physics. (e.g. Can we know the nature of quantum particles and fields? Whether or not quantum wave function represents reality? Whether or not the world is indeterministic?) The project's wider significance derives from the cultural importance of the scientific knowledge claims at stake. To this end we aim to enhance the general public's appreciation of the philosophical issues challenging a face-value reading of fundamental physics, and we organise a series of workshops that bring the philosophical issues to the consciousness of A-level physics teachers and science journalists.

我们大多数人都有“科学现实主义”的信念，认为科学为我们提供了我们肉眼无法观察到的微观世界的知识。我们无法看到或直接观察分子、原子或电磁场--更不用说夸克或希格斯玻色子了！但是，先进物理学，凭借其得到充分证实的理论和令人印象深刻的实验仪器，通常被描绘成（例如在大众媒体中）提供关于基本现实的真实性质的知识。这个项目的目的是在量子物理学的背景下评估这种科学现实主义态度的可信度。科学实在论，虽然被广泛接受，是常识性的，并得到科学成功的支持，但被许多人视为对基础科学的合理态度。同样，也有许多人站出来为实在论辩护，自70年代末以来，科学实在论者和反实在论者之间的争论在科学哲学中一直很激烈。像哲学的许多方面一样，这场辩论在很大程度上是以非常笼统和抽象的术语进行的，与具体的科学细节无关。哲学家们在一般考虑的基础上（例如，一方面涉及科学史上的激进理论转变，另一方面涉及科学令人印象深刻的工具性、解释性和预测性的成功），提出了越来越复杂的支持和反对科学实在论的论点。最近，哲学家们开始认识到这种一般性论证的局限性和个案科学细节的重要性。但是，科学实在论的这种个案研究还没有与我们最先进的科学之一：量子物理学联系起来。该项目填补了这一空白，系统地重新考虑支持和反对科学实在论的量子物理学，它的历史和目前的状态发挥的论点。为了做到这一点，我们汇集了一般科学哲学和物理哲学的研究人员进行富有成效的互动。首先，我们考察量子物理的实际细节对实在论争论的影响。更具体地说，我们根据量子物理学的具体特征，对现有的支持和反对科学实在论的论点进行了比较评估，明确了这些论点在这一特定背景下的前景和问题。我们还考虑了在量子物理学背景下提出支持和反对实在论的新颖论点的可能性。其次，我们评估的程度和状态，我们的量子世界的知识在现实主义辩论的光通过检查，相对于现实主义的立场，在这种情况下是可辩护的，我们可以声称知道的各种特征的现实所描述的量子物理学。(e.g.我们能知道量子粒子和场的本质吗？量子波函数是否代表实在？世界是否具有不确定性？）该项目更广泛的意义来自于所涉科学知识主张的文化重要性。为此，我们的目标是提高公众对挑战基础物理学表面阅读价值的哲学问题的欣赏，我们组织了一系列研讨会，将哲学问题带到A级物理教师和科学记者的意识中。