Descrizione del progetto
Modalità nella rappresentazione scientifica
Il discorso modale è onnipresente nella scienza, ma identificare quale tipo di necessità sia coinvolta, ad esempio epistemica, naturale o concettuale, non è sempre facile. Finanziato dal programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto SciRepMod si propone di aggirare questo problema esaminando lo stato rappresentativo di vari tipi di modalità. Lo scopo è quello di distinguere pragmaticamente diversi tipi di modalità per fornire strumenti per interpretare in modo più preciso l’aspetto modale delle teorie scientifiche e dei discorsi scientifici. Il progetto si concentrerà sulla meccanica quantistica non relativistica poiché il campo offre una ricca struttura modale (stati possibili, osservabili, risultati e parametri di modello) con interpretazioni divergenti. Pertanto, il progetto interesserà anche gli scienziati professionisti, in particolare i fisici.
Obiettivo
Modal discourse (about what is possible or necessary) is ubiquitous in science but it is not always easy to identify which kind of necessity (epistemic, natural, conceptual, ...) is involved in a piece of scientific reasoning. This difficulty is a source of debate not only among philosophers, but also among physicists, for example concerning the interpretation of probabilities in quantum mechanics. The aim of the project is to circumvent this problem by examining the representational status of various kinds of modalities: whether they are represented, or whether they play a role in the act of representing, for example, in assessing the credibility of a model. The purpose is to arrive at a means of distinguishing different kinds of modalities pragmatically, so as to provide tools for interpreting the modal aspect of scientific theories and scientific discourse more precisely. The project will focus on a case-study: non-relativistic quantum mechanics, because it offers a rich modal structure (possible states, observables, outcomes, model-parameters) with divergent interpretations. It will consist in developing a plausible account of the representational status of various kinds of modalities, with help from the competence of the host institution on the topics of scientific representation and the philosophy of probabilities, and applying this account to the case study by examining how various modal structures constrain, license or warrant inferences based on quantum mechanical models. It will take into account different scientific aims and activities (explaining, predicting, developing technologies). The project could be useful to scientists, by helping them to have a clear view of the concepts involved when they employ modal discourse. It could inform the way scientific theories are to be interpreted, in particular quantum mechanics. Finally, it could inform debates on the nature of scientific representation and on the relations between various kinds of modalities.
Campo scientifico
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
28040 Madrid
Spagna