Identity over time: Objectively, subjectively
Philosophical Quarterly 58 (230):15-35 (2008)
| Abstract | In the philosophy of science, identity over time emerges as a central concern both as an ontological category in the interpretation of physical theories, and as an epistemological problem concerning the conditions of possibility of knowledge. In Reichenbach and subsequent writers on the problem of indistinguishable quantum particles we see the return of a contrast between Leibniz and Aquinas on the subject of individuation. The possibility of rejecting the principle of the identity of indiscernibles has certain logical difficulties, leading us inexorably from ontology into epistemology. For the epistemological problem we attend to the differences that emerged between the (neo-)Kantian and logical empiricist traditions, also saliently displayed in Reichenbach's writings. After examining the contrast between Kant's and Leibniz's conceptions of empirical knowledge, specifically with respect to the irreducibility of spatiotemporal determinations, we explore an application of a neo-Kantian view to the same problem of indistinguishable quantum particles. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,679 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesThomas W. Smythe (1989). Disembodied Minds and Personal Identity. Philosophy Research Archives 14:415-423.
Alberto Cortes (1976). Leibniz's Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles: A False Principle. Philosophy of Science 43 (4):491-505.
Newton C. A. Costdaa & Décio Krause (1994). Schrödinger Logics. Studia Logica 53 (4).
Robin Jeshion (2006). The Identity of Indiscernibles and the Co-Location Problem. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 87 (2):163–176.
Edwin B. Allaire (1967). Things, Relations and Identity. Philosophy of Science 34 (3):260-272.
Robert C. Hilborn & Candice L. Yuca (2002). Identical Particles in Quantum Mechanics Revisited. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 53 (3):355-389.
Newton C. A. da Costa & Décio Krause (1994). Schrödinger Logics. Studia Logica 53 (4):533 - 550.
Michael Redhead & Paul Teller (1992). Particle Labels and the Theory of Indistinguishable Particles in Quantum Mechanics. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 43 (2):201-218.
Bas C. van Fraassen & Isabelle Peschard (forthcoming). Identity Over Time: Objectively, Subjectively. Philosophical Quarterly.
Bernardo J. Cantens (2001). A Solution to the Problem of Personal Identity in the Metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 75:121-134.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads45 ( #24,531 of 549,087 )Recent downloads (6 months)2 ( #37,333 of 549,087 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
