Steven French "From a Lost History to a New Future: Is a Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Physics Viable?"
With a primary source: London and Bauer "The Theory of Observation in Quantum Mechanics"
The scientific understanding of the physical world and the methods of physics have both undergone dramatic changes during the 20th century. The aim of this working group is to foster a network of scholars working on the history and philosophy of modern physics and to discuss both historical papers and recent/ongoing works of its members. The group focuses on the mathematization of fundamental theoretical physics, its historical development and philosophical implications. The scope of the group therefore includes primary resources associated with the development of general relativity, quantum theory and quantum field theories, together with alternative theories (such as modified theories of gravity) and rejected theories (such as unified field theory). The starting point for the group is the historical development of gauge theories, together with related concepts and theoretical practices (e.g. spinors, dimensional reduction). Just a few examples of issues that fall within the scope of the working group are the historical development of quantum gravity, varieties of realism vs. anti-realism in the context of fundamental physics, the roles of principles in theorizing, and the limits of mathematical reasoning.
Consortium Respectful Behavior Policy
Participants at Consortium activities will treat each other with respect and consideration to create a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment that is free from any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.
Participants will avoid any inappropriate actions or statements based on individual characteristics such as age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, nationality, political affiliation, ability status, educational background, or any other characteristic protected by law. Disruptive or harassing behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Harassment includes but is not limited to inappropriate or intimidating behavior and language, unwelcome jokes or comments, unwanted touching or attention, offensive images, photography without permission, and stalking.
Participants may send reports or concerns about violations of this policy to conduct@chstm.org.
Upcoming Meetings
Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 am EST
Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 9:30 - 11:00 am EST
Paper: Christoph Lehner, Jos Uffink, "Schrödinger, Szilard, and the emergence of the EPR argument" (forthcoming)
Primary Source: Schrödinger, "The Present Status of Quantum Mechanics" (1935)
Guests: Christoph Lehner, Jos Uffink (tbc)
Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EST
Daniela Monaldi - "The Statistical Style of Reasoning and the Invention of Bose-Einstein Statistics"
Guest: Daniela Monaldi
Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EST
TBA
Guest: Aaron S. Wright
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EDT
TBA
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EDT
TBA
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EDT
TBA
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 9:30 - 11:00 am EDT
TBA
Past Meetings
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The Einstein-Klein 1918 correspondence
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"Mie's Theory of Matter and Gravitation" by C. Smeenk and C. Martin and "Foundations of a Theory of Matter (excerpts)" by G. Mie as in "The Genesis of General Relativity - Sources and Interpretations" edited by M. Janssen, J. Norton, J. Renn, T. Sauer and J. Stachel (Springer, 2007), https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4020-4000-9
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* UPDATE: This meeting has been canceled. We will discuss Mie theory next month
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"Mie's Theory of Matter and Gravitation" by C. Smeenk and C. Martin and "Foundations of a Theory of Matter (excerpts)" by G. Mie as in "The Genesis of General Relativity - Sources and Interpretations" edited by M. Janssen, J. Norton, J. Renn, T. Sauer and J. Stachel (Springer, 2007), https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4020-4000-9
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In our next meeting we will focus on the influence of Weyl (1918) on the development of later gravitational theories, and discuss Erhard Scholz's paper "Gauging the spacetime metric – looking back and forth a century later". (Attached below)
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Weyl's "Elektron und Gravitation", as translated by O'Raifeartaigh in "The Dawning of Gauge Theory"
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Please find here Albert Einstein's two papers on Teleparallelism from 1928, "Riemann-Geometrie mit Aufrechterhaltung des Begriffes des Fernparallelismus" and "Neue Möglichkeit für eine einheitliche Feldtheorie von Gravitation und Elektrizität" (both published in Sitzungsberichte der Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, p.217-221, p.224-227 resp.), as translated to English by David Delphenich (self-published at https://www.neo-classical-physics.info/spacetime-structure.html).
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Kaluza-Klein Theory
"On the Unification Problem of Physics" by Th. Kaluza (1921) and "Quantum Theory and Five-Dimensional Relativity" by O. Klein (1926);
English translations of the original papers, taken from "The Dawning of Gauge Theory" by L. O'Raifeartaigh
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Weyl's (1918) Gravitation and Electricity (German origin; searchable English version).
Group Conveners
Guy Hetzroni
Guy Hetzroni is a member of the Department of Natural Sciences at the Open University of Israel and of the university’s Astrophysics Research Center (ARCO). He received his Ph.D. from the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2019, and conducted postdoctoral research as a Rothschild Fellow, visiting research fellow at the Freudenthal Institute at Utrecht University and an associate member of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Oxford. His research is in the philosophy of physics, focusing on epistemological and ontological questions in the context of the methods of modern physics. His current main research project conerns symmetry arguments in the context of quantum physics and gravitational theories.
Bernadette Lessel
Bernadette Lessel is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Philosophy of the University of Bonn. She is part of the "Center of Gravity" research group (COGY) where she investigates the history of general relativity during its Renaissance period. Before that, Bernadette was a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science as part of the Research group "Historical Epistemology of the Final Theory". More broadly, she is interested in historical epistemology of final theories, most specifically in an historical understanding of the development of fundamental physical theories into highly abstract, non-empirical formalisms. Bernadette received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Georg-August-Universtiät Göttingen.
Noah Stemeroff
Noah Stemeroff is a British Academy Internationl Fellow at the University of Bristol. He is engaged in a study of the "mathematization of nature" implicit in the work of Hermann Weyl and Wolfgang Pauli, and their relation to the broader empiricist, idealist, and speculative traditions in twentieth century philosophy of science.
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