The Philosophy Behind Physics

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XII

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2. Introduction

   1. Introduction

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 1-4

3. The Philosophy of Physics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 5-5

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   2. The Active Epistemology

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 7-17

   3. Higher-Level Epistemic Cycles

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 18-24

   4. Systems and Experiments

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 25-39

   5. The Structure of Theories

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 40-59

   6. Induction and the Scope of Theories

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 60-79

   7. The Incommensurability of Theories

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 80-83

   8. A Minimal Ontology for Scientific Research

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 84-94

   9. The Determinisms of Physics

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 95-104

4. The Theory of Probability

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 105-105

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   2. The Nature of Probability

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 107-121

   3. The Ensemble Interpretation of Probability

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 122-135

   4. The Philosophy of Ensemble Probability

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 136-138

   5. On Errors and Approximations

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 139-156

5. The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 157-157

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   2. Problems and Promises of the Ensemble Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 159-184

   3. Probability and the Way Out of the Great Quantum Muddle

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 185-196

   4. Are Hidden Variables Possible?

      • Thomas A. Brody

      Pages 197-204

Thomas Brody had one of the most powerful and wide-ranging intellects of his generation. Although primarily a physicist who worked on statistical prob­ lems in nuclear physics, on probability theory and on computational physics he had an extensive knowledge of the philosophy of science and of philosophy, and was fluent in many languages. He is well-known among physicists for the Brody-Moshinsky transformation but his extensive work on probability and on the philosophy of science remained almost unknown. This was because the originality of his ideas entailed many lengthy battles with uncomprehending referees, and he frequently published in Mexican journals of limited circula­ tion. In addition, his strongly critical spirit inhibited his willingness to publish his ideas. He was always most concerned by the very unsatisfactory situation in the philosophy of physics, that is largely due to the generally poor knowledge that physicists and philosophers have of each other's disciplines. Philosophers of science write at length about physics without any detailed first-hand knowl­ edge of how research is actually carried out. Physicists, for their part, often implicitly assume naive or erroneous philosophical ideas, and this often hinders their scientific work, besides spreading further confusion if they try to give an account of what they are doing.

• determinism
• epistemology
• interpret
• logic
• mechanics
• nature
• philosophy
• philosophy of physics
• physics
• quantum mechanics

• Instituto de Física, Universidad Autónoma de México, México DF, México

  Luis Peña

• Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, Great Britain

  Peter E. Hodgson

Policies and ethics