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| Program > Philosophy and Physics |
| Programme > Philosophie et Physique |
| Mélanie
Frappier (University
of Western Ontario) The Influence of Hilbert's Programme on Heisenberg's Closed Theories |
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This talk explores the relations existing between Hilbert's programme and Heisenberg's theory of theories. In an interview with T.S. Kuhn, Heisenberg claimed that, under Hilbert's influence, many physicists came to believe "that we may be forced to describe nature by means of an axiomatic system which was thoroughly different from the old classical physics." As I show, Hilbert's ideas on axiomatization pervades Heisenberg's thoughts on the role played by mathematical formalism in the definition of theoretical concepts. The influence Hilbert had on Heisenberg is particularly evident in the latter's notion of closed theories, defined as systems of axioms, definitions, and laws giving us an "eternally valid knowledge" of the laws of nature. I also show how Hilbert's influence is present in Heisenberg's concerns about the limits of our "intuition" (Anschaulichkeit), in the central role Heisenberg attributes to completeness and consistency in the evaluation of physical theories, and in his belief that, in physics, understanding consists essentially in the knowledge of the relations existing between the different concepts of a theoretical framework, rather than in the direct acquaintance of the things associated with those concepts. I finally argue that the knowledge of the relations existing between the philosophies of the two men should play an important role in our reconstruction of Heisenberg's thoughts on the interpretation of physical theories.
Department
of Philosophy
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