42 research outputs found
On A New Formulation of Micro-phenomena: Basic Principles, Stationary Fields And Beyond
In a series of essays, beginning with this article, we are going to develop a
new formulation of micro-phenomena based on the principles of reality and
causality. The new theory provides with us a new depiction of micro-phenomena
assuming an unified concept of information, matter and energy. So, we suppose
that in a definite micro-physical context (including other interacting
particles), each particle is enfolded by a probability field whose existence is
contingent upon the existence of the particle, but it can locally affect the
physical status of the particle in a context-dependent manner. The dynamics of
the whole particle-field system obeys deterministic equations in a manner that
when the particle is subjected to a conservative force, the field also
experiences a conservative complex force which its form is determined by the
dynamics of particle. So, the field is endowed with a given amount of energy,
but its value is contingent upon the physical conditions the particle is
subjected to. Based on the energy balance of the particle and its associated
field, we argue why the field has a probabilistic objective nature. In such a
way, the basic elements of this new formulation, its application for some
stationary states and its nonlinear generalization for conservative systems are
discussed here.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figures, 3 appendice
Science and Its Discontents: Is There an End to Knowing?
Is there an end to our scientific quest? This question that continues to divide the scientific
community between those who believe that the progress of science is infinite and those
who think that we already understand how the universe works and no major discoveries
are to be expected in the future. This article explores the philosophical worldview of
modern science that has given rise to this question. It argues that an approach to
knowledge that focuses on the process of construction of knowledge rather than its
products offers a possibility of definitively answering this question and opening paths
for a more rational approach in advancing and managing the scientific progress
The Quantum Reduced Action In Higher Dimensions
The solution with respect to the reduced action of the one-dimensional
stationary quantum Hamilton-Jacobi equation is well known in the literature.
The extension to higher dimensions in the separated variable case was proposed
in contradictory formulations. In this paper we provide new insights into the
construction of the reduced action. In particular, contrary to the classical
mechanics case, we analytically show that the reduced action constructed as a
sum of one variable functions does not contain a complete information about the
quantum motion. In the same context, we also make some observations about
recent results concerning quantum trajectories. Finally, we will examine the
conditions in which microstates appear even in the case where the wave function
is complex.Comment: 12 pages, no figur
Science, Values, and Power: Toward a Christian-Critical Perspective on Responsible Science
This essay critically examines a questionable presupposition of contemporary science—that science is an instrumental means to human ends and as such is a value-neutral project. According to this presupposition, the responsibility for the ethical evaluation of science concerns only the uses to which science is put by society and thus does not belong properly to the scientific profession. This view, which C. P. Snow called “the myth of ethical neutrality,” is critiqued along ethical, philosophical, and theological axes of analysis. Once we recognize that science is essentially a form of power, it becomes clear that science is morally ambiguous because the power over nature that science enables contains the potential for domination over humanity. From the Christian perspective, which holds that all worldly power is “fallen,” it is evident that science also is in need of being “ransomed” from evil uses and reoriented toward the priorities of God’s Kingdom. Accordingly, to be responsible science must be accountable to transcendent values and must be in dialogue with other disciplines, including ethics, philosophy, and theology
Market Exchange, Self-Interest, and the Common Good: Financial Crisis and Moral Economy
The financial crisis of 2008–2009 presents us with the opportunity to not only understand what has happened in the markets but also to reflect on the purpose of the marketplace. Drawing from expert economic analyses, we first assess the central lesson of the crisis—the failure of self-regulation by rational self-interest to moderate externalized risk in financial markets. Second, we ask the philosophical question occasioned by the crisis concerning the moral meaning of economic activity: Is market exchange solely for the sake of self-interest? Reflecting on the poetry of Kahlil Gibran and engaging with the recent encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, we turn our attention from political economy to moral economy: the relationships among market exchange, self-interest, and the common good—and, in particular, the prior conditions of market exchange and their moral significance for the present crisis