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The ‘Thing’ of Everyday Life

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Schrödinger’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics

Part of the book series: Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science ((BSPS,volume 188))

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Abstract

As we emphasized in previous chapters, Schrödinger’s rejection of corpuscularian entities, and his adoption of wave entities instead, can only be understood in the light of his general views on ontology. Our aim in this chapter is to provide one with an exposition and a critical assessment of Schrödinger’s conception of the objects (or “things”) of everyday life, and then to connect it back with the ontological issues raised by quantum mechanics. This connection is by no means artificial, for Schrödinger developed his ideas about the “things” of everyday life in permanent relation with his reflection on quantum mechanics. In most texts, quantum mechanics even appears as the true motivation for a (usually short) discussion about general ontology.

A former (and shorter) version of this reflection on Schrödinger’s conception of the “thing” of everyday life can be found in: M. Bitbol, “Esquisses, forme, et totalité”, in: M. Bitbol and O. Darrigol (eds.), Erwin Schrödinger, Philosophy and the birth of quantum mechanics, op. cit.

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Reference

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  1. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France

    Michel Bitbol

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© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Bitbol, M. (1996). The ‘Thing’ of Everyday Life. In: Schrödinger’s Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 188. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1772-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1772-9_5

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