Online research in philosophy

This paper deals with the question whether existence claims may be supported in an a priori manner. I examine a particular case in point, namely the argument for the existence of so-called logical atoms to be found in Wittgenstein's Tractatus. Although I find it wanting, I argue that more general reflections on the notion of existence allow us to straightforwardly answer our initial question in the affirmative.

Realism in Duhem's Natural Classification. Pierre Duhem is an outstanding exponent of empiricism. According to the empiricist view scientific laws and theories merely describe formal relations between observable phenomena. Duhems' important notion of natural classification is intended to explain the predictive success of science. I shall argue that it can only be interpreted realistically. Besides the success of science, two further arguments are put forward in favor of realism: (i) the fact that laws of nature are necessary, and (ii) the (...) extension of observation by using instruments. (shrink)

Relativisten betrachten die unterschiedlichen logischen und mathematischen Axiomensysteme als prinzipiell gleichwertige Darstellungsmittel, deren Anwendung sich nur pragmatisch rechtfertigen läßt. Nach realistischer Deutung haben aber zumindest einige Axiomensysteme als objektiv zu gelten. Allerdings vermögen die Gründe, die die beiden wichtigsten Verfechter des Realismus, Frege und Gödel, für die Objektivität vorgebracht haben, nicht zu überzeugen. Dessen ungeachtet erweist sich, wie zum Schluß argumentiert wird, eine realistische Philosophie der Mathematik als unumgängüch.

Are Classical Mechanics and the Special Theory of Relativity Commensurable? In its first part, this paper shows why a recently made attempt to reduce the special theory of relativity to Newtonian kinematics is bound to fail. In the second part, we propose a differentiated notion of incommensurability which enables us to amend the contention that the special theory of relatively and Newtonian kinematics are "incommensurable".