Ludwig Boltzmann's Mathematical Argument for Atomism

Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook 9:199-211 (2001)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In recent years, the philosophy of Ludwig Boltzmann has become a point of interest within the field of history of philosophy of science. Attention has centred around Boltzmann’s philosophical considerations connected to his defense of atomism in physics. In analysing these considerations, several scholars have attributed a pragmatist stance to Boltzmann. In this paper, I want to argue that, whatever pragmatist traits may be found in Boltzmann’s diverse writings, his defense of atomism in physics can not be analysed this way. In other words, I wish to show that he did not defend atomism as “preferable for its practical virtues”, as has been alleged.1 On the contrary, Boltzmann considered the atomist picture to be indispensable — more precisely, an indispensable prerequisite for making the application of continuous differential equations an understandable enterprise

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 100,061

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Boltzmann on mathematics.Setsuko Tanaka - 1999 - Synthese 119 (1-2):203-232.
Ludwig Boltzmann und Das grundlagenproblem der quantentheorie.Ulrich Hoyer - 1984 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 15 (2):201-210.
Die Atomistik bei Ludwig Boltzmann. Zur wissenschaftlichen und philosophischen Bedeutung einer kontroversen Position am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts.Juan Ignacio GÓMez Tutor - 2004 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 35 (2):371-384.

Analytics

Added to PP
2012-08-14

Downloads
710 (#31,175)

6 months
3 (#1,449,818)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Torsten Wilholt
Universität Hannover

Citations of this work

When realism made a difference: The constitution of matter and its conceptual enigmas in late 19th century physics.Torsten Wilholt - 2008 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 39 (1):1-16.
The place of probability in Hilbert’s axiomatization of physics, ca. 1900–1928.Lukas M. Verburgt - 2016 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 53:28-44.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references