Oldofredi, Andrea and Esfeld, Michael (2019) Observability, Unobservability and the Copenhagen Interpretation in Dirac's Methodology of Physics. Quanta, 8 (1). pp. 68-87.
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Abstract
Paul A. M. Dirac has been undoubtedly one of the central figures of the last century physics, contributing in several and remarkable ways to the development of Quantum Mechanics (QM); he was also at the centre of an active community of physicists, with whom he had extensive interactions and correspondence. In particular, the British physicist was in close contact with Bohr, Heisenberg and Pauli. For this reason, among others, Dirac is generally considered a supporter of the Copenhagen interpretation of QM. Similarly, he was considered a physicist sympathetic with the positivistic attitude which shaped the development of quantum theory in the twenties. Against this background, the aim of the present essay is twofold: on the one hand, we will argue that, analyzing specific examples taken from Dirac's published works, he can neither be considered a positivist nor a physicist methodologically guided by the observability doctrine. On the other hand, we will try to disentangle Dirac's figure from the mentioned Copenhagen interpretation, since in his long career he employed remarkably different - and often contradicting - methodological principles and philosophical perspectives with respect to those followed by the supporters of that interpretation.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Dirac; Observability; Copenhagen Interpretation; Methodology; Dirac Equation; Ether; | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Theory/Observation |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Andrea Oldofredi | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2019 20:21 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2019 20:21 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 16630 | |||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Quanta | |||||||||
| Official URL: | http://quanta.ws/ojs/index.php/quanta/article/view... | |||||||||
| DOI or Unique Handle: | 10.12743/quanta.v8i1.93 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Theory/Observation |
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| Date: | 10 November 2019 | |||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 68-87 | |||||||||
| Volume: | 8 | |||||||||
| Number: | 1 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/16630 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Observability, Unobservability and the Copenhagen Interpretation in Dirac's Methodology of Physics. (deposited 07 Nov 2019 02:04)
- Observability, Unobservability and the Copenhagen Interpretation in Dirac's Methodology of Physics. (deposited 10 Nov 2019 20:21) [Currently Displayed]
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