Atkinson, David (2001) Experiments and Thought Experiments in Natural Science. [Preprint]
![[img]](https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/rtf.png) |
RTF (.rtf)
Thought.rtf Download (72kB) |
Abstract
My theme is thought experiment in natural science, and its relation to real experiment. I shall defend the thesis that thought experiments that do not lead to theorizing and to a real experiment are generally of much less value that those that do so. To illustrate this thesis I refer to three examples, from three very different periods, and with three very different kinds of status. The first is the classic thought experiment in which Galileo imagined that he had, by pure thought, demolished Aristoteles' dogma that heavier bodies fall more quickly than light ones. I will show that he was mistaken. The second is the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper purporting to show that quantum mechanics must be incomplete in its domain of application. This thought experiment is a very good one, not because its conclusions are correct, but precisely because it was fruitful, leading to theory and, above all, to a real experiment. Finally I discuss the modern string theory of everything, which, while it is regarded as a physical theory by its instigators, shares some properties of the least successful sort of thought experiment.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
||||||
| Keywords: | Key words: Thought experiment, real experiment, EPR-thought experiment, Bell inequalities, string theory, Galileo versus Aristotle on falling bodies. | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Depositing User: | Dr. Michael Stoeltzner | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 26 Apr 2002 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 07 Oct 2010 15:10 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 625 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Date: | June 2001 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/625 |
Commentary/Response Threads
- Atkinson, David Experiments and Thought Experiments in Natural Science. (deposited 26 Apr 2002) [Currently Displayed]
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}