Belkheiri, Nadji and Kuznetsov, Volodymyr (2026) The Polysystemic Nature of Chemical Theory: Toward an Epistemology for Engaging with Material Complexity. [Preprint]
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Belkheiri and Kuznetsov The Polysystemic Nature of Chemical Theory Toward an Epistemology for Engaging with Material Complexity 19 01 2026 FINAL.docx Download (71kB) |
Abstract
This article challenges the direct transfer of epistemological frameworks from physics to quantum chemistry. While the "Theory's Polysystemity" model offers a powerful analytical tool, the unique nature of chemical realities, with their hierarchical and contextual complexity, necessitates substantial adaptation of this model. We argue that chemical theory is necessarily an open and dynamic system of interconnected subsystems, where procedural, inferential, and approximative systems are as central as the nomological and ontological ones. Analyzing the case of Molecular Orbital Theory via this expanded framework, we illustrate how experimental or computational "surprise" (which we reconceptualize as "material response") does not constitute an anomaly, but rather an epistemological moment that reveals the network-like interaction between subsystems and drives their evolution This article aims to establish a chemical-specific epistemological foundation that acknowledges the particularity of its complexity and paves the way for historical and practical applications.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | Philosophy of Chemistry, Polysystemic Nature of Theory, Complexity of Scientific Theory, Epistemology of Chemistry, Molecular Orbital Theory, Material Response. | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Mathematics > History of Philosophy Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Nadji Belkheiri | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2026 13:37 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2026 13:37 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 28015 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Mathematics > Epistemology Specific Sciences > Mathematics > History of Philosophy Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science |
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| Date: | 26 January 2026 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28015 |
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