Related papers: Popper's experiment and the Copenhagen interpretat…
In this paper I argue that aim-oriented empiricism (AOE), a conception of natural science that I have defended at some length elsewhere, is a kind of synthesis of the views of Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos, but is also an improvement over the…
Bohr's complementarity principle is of fundamental historic and conceptual importance for Quantum Mechanics (QM), and states that, with a given experimental apparatus configuration, one can observe either the wave-like or the particle-like…
Cox's well-known theorem justifying the use of probability is shown not to hold in finite domains. The counterexample also suggests that Cox's assumptions are insufficient to prove the result even in infinite domains. The same…
Some criticisms that have been raised against the Cox approach to probability theory are addressed. Should we use a single real number to measure a degree of rational belief? Can beliefs be compared? Are the Cox axioms obvious? Are there…
We present a formal measure of argument strength, which combines the ideas that conclusions of strong arguments are (i) highly probable and (ii) their uncertainty is relatively precise. Likewise, arguments are weak when their conclusion…
A proof is given, at a greater level of generality than previous 'no-go' theorems, of the impossibility of formulating a modal interpretation that exhibits 'serious' Lorentz invariance at the fundamental level. Particular attention is given…
The legendary discussion between Einstein and Bohr concerning the photon box experiment is critically analyzed. It is shown that Einstein's argument is flawed and Bohr's reply is wrong.
The Kochen-Specker Theorem is widely interpreted to imply that non-contextual hidden variable theories that agree with the predictions of Copenhagen quantum mechanics are impossible. The import of the theorem for a novel observer…
We propose an experimental setup for the implementation of weak measurements in the context of the gedankenexperiment known as Hardy's Paradox. As Aharonov et al. showed, these weak values form a language with which the paradox can be…
In this very brief note, we only wish to identify a simple but notable epistemological basis, concerning the Karl R. Popper philosophy of science thought, into the realm of the experimental proves of Fundamental Physics.
We give a new proof for Godel's second incompleteness theorem, based on Kolmogorov complexity, Chaitin's incompleteness theorem, and an argument that resembles the surprise examination paradox. We then go the other way around and suggest…
It is argued that the conclusions obtained by Renninger (Zeitschrift fur Physik 136, 251 (1953)), by means of an interferometer thought experiment, have important implications for a number of still ongoing discussions about quantum…
Mainstream interpretations of quantum theory maintain that violations of the Bell inequalities deny at least either realism or Einstein locality. Here we investigate the premises of the Bell-type inequalities by returning to earlier…
This is a short, light spirited account of how some possibly important science actually happened. It very much conflicts with Popper's contention that the key to scientific progress is falsification.
Nowadays, it is commonly admitted that the experimental violation of Bell's inequalities that was successfully demonstrated in the last decades by many experimenters, are indeed the ultimate proof of quantum physics and of its ability to…
We define realism using a slightly modified version of the EPR criterion of reality. This version is strong enough to show that relativity is incomplete. We show that this definition of realism is nonetheless compatible with the general…
In this Essay, we give a correct interpretation of a historical experiment by Kundig on the transverse Doppler shift in a rotating system (Mossbauer rotor experiment). This experiment has been recently first reanalyzed, and then replied by…
If a quantum experiment includes random processes, then the results of repeated measurements can appear consistent with irreversible decoherence even if the system's evolution prior to measurement was reversible and unitary. Two thought…
I argue that John Norton's notions of empirical, hypothetical, and counterfactual possibility can be successfully used to analyze counterintuitive examples of physical possibility and align better with modal intuitions of practicing…
It is not very well known that the philosopher Karl Popper has been one of the foremost critics of the orthodox interpretation of quantum physics for about six decades. This paper reconstructs in detail most of Popper's activities on…