The Mathematization of Physics and the Neo-Thomism of Duhem and Maritain

Pierre Duhem and Jacques Maritain, influenced by positivist philosophies of science that prevailed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, adopted markedly non-realist views about the mathematical theories of the modern physical sciences. The philosophies of science they developed were...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Barr, Stephen M. 1953- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Philosophy Documentation Center [2018]
In: American catholic philosophical quarterly
Year: 2018, Volume: 92, Issue: 1, Pages: 123-144
Further subjects:B DUHEM, Pierre Maurice Marie, 1861-1916
B Maritain, Jacques, 1882-1973
B Thomism
B Mathematical models
B theory of knowledge
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Pierre Duhem and Jacques Maritain, influenced by positivist philosophies of science that prevailed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, adopted markedly non-realist views about the mathematical theories of the modern physical sciences. The philosophies of science they developed were a hybrid of Thomism and positivism. This paper argues that the ideas of Duhem and Maritain about the relation of the mathematical theories of modern physics to physical reality are inadequate in light of the insights modern physics has yielded about the physical world.
ISSN:2153-8441
Contains:Enthalten in: American catholic philosophical quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5840/acpq20171227142