Lombardi, Olimpia and Fortin, Sebastian and Martínez González, Juan Camilo and Accorinti, Hernán Lucas (2025) What are we talking about when we discuss the Born-Oppenheimer approximation? [Preprint]
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Abstract
Nick Huggett, James Ladyman, and Karim Thébault (HLT) have presented a comprehensive article examining the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (BOA). Their central objective is to challenge our position on the matter—namely, that the BOA incorporates a classical assumption incompatible with the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. In contrast, HLT contend that the BOA involves no such classical assumption and, as a result, supports the view that chemistry can be reduced to physics. The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical analysis of the HLT article and to clarify why we consider their arguments unpersuasive.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||||||||
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| Additional Information: | This is an answer to the article "On the Quantum Theory of Molecules: Rigour, Idealization, and Uncertainty" https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24161/ | |||||||||||||||
| Keywords: | quantum chemistry; idealization; reduction; rigour | |||||||||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Sebastian Fortin | |||||||||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2025 14:14 | |||||||||||||||
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2025 14:14 | |||||||||||||||
| Item ID: | 25965 | |||||||||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
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| Date: | 16 July 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25965 |
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