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Scientific paper - Original scientific paper
Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes
Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 51 (2020), 3; 459-480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y
Kožnjak, Boris

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Kožnjak, B. (2020). Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes. Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 51. (3), 459-480. doi: 10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y

Kožnjak, Boris. "Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes." Journal for General Philosophy of Science, vol. 51, no. 3, 2020, pp. 459-480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y

Kožnjak, Boris. "Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes." Journal for General Philosophy of Science 51, no. 3 (2020): 459-480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y

Kožnjak, B. (2020) 'Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes', Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 51(3), pp. 459-480. doi: 10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y

Kožnjak B. Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes. Journal for General Philosophy of Science [Internet]. 2020 [cited 2024 December 10];51(3):459-480. doi: 10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y

B. Kožnjak, "Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes", Journal for General Philosophy of Science, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 459-480, 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:261:094413. [Accessed: 10 December 2024]

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Metadata
Title (english)Aristotle and Quantum Mechanics: Potentiality and Actuality, Spontaneous Events and Final Causes
AuthorBoris Kožnjak
Author's institutionInstitute of Philosophy
Scientific / art field,
discipline and subdiscipline		HUMANISTIC SCIENCES
Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
Abstract (english)
Aristotelian ideas have in the past been applied with mixed fortunes to quantum mechanics. One of the most persistent criticisms is that Aristotle’s notions of potentiality and actuality are burdened with a teleological character long ago abandoned in the natural sciences. Recently this criticism has been met with a model of the actualization of quantum potentialities in light of Aristotle’s doctrine of ‘spontaneous events’. This presumably restores the nowadays acceptable idea of efficient causation in place of Aristotle’s original doctrine of the ‘four causes’. In this article I challenge the model by arguing that when properly scrutinized Aristotle’s final cause poses no problems for an Aristotelian reading of quantum mechanics. Final causes in fact provide a better ontology for quantum mechanics than spontaneous causation. The idea of ‘spontaneity’ is unanalyzable and therefore of little use in quantum mechanics. In addition, it is ontologically sterile in the context of quantum measurement, as shown by a historical and conceptual review of the role of efficient causation in experimental physics.
Keywords (english)
Languageenglish
Publication typeScientific paper - Original scientific paper
Publication statusPublished
Peer reviewPeer review - international
Publication versionPublished version
Journal titleJournal for General Philosophy of Science
Numberingvol. 51, no. 3, pp. 459-480
p-ISSN0925-4560
e-ISSN1572-8587
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y
URN:NBNurn:nbn:hr:261:094413
Publication2020
Document URLhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-020-09500-y
Type of resourceText
Access conditionsInstitutional access
Terms of useLicence In copyright icon
Created on2023-02-06 10:12:47