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  1. The physics and metaphysics of identity and individuality: Steven French and Décio Krause: Identity in physics: A historical, philosophical, and formal analysis. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006, 440 pp, £68.00 HB.Don Howard, Bas C. van Fraassen, Otávio Bueno, Elena Castellani, Laura Crosilla, Steven French & Décio Krause - 2010 - Metascience 20 (2):225-251.
    The physics and metaphysics of identity and individuality Content Type Journal Article DOI 10.1007/s11016-010-9463-7 Authors Don Howard, Department of Philosophy and Graduate Program in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA Bas C. van Fraassen, Philosophy Department, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA Otávio Bueno, Department of Philosophy, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA Elena Castellani, Department of Philosophy, University of Florence, Via Bolognese 52, 50139 (...)
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  • Issues in the foundations of science, I: Languages, structures, and models.Newton C. A. da Costa, Décio Krause & Otávio Bueno - unknown
    In this first paper of a series of works on the foundations of science, we examine the significance of logical and mathematical frameworks used in foundational studies. In particular, we emphasize the distinction between the order of a language and the order of a structure to prevent confusing models of scientific theories with first-order structures, and which are studied in standard model theory. All of us are, of course, bound to make abuses of language even in putatively precise contexts. This (...)
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  • Logical aspects of quantum (non-)individuality.Décio Krause - 2010 - Foundations of Science 15 (1):79-94.
    In this paper I consider some logical and mathematical aspects of the discussion of the identity and individuality of quantum entities. I shall point out that for some aspects of the discussion, the logical basis cannot be put aside; on the contrary, it leads us to unavoidable conclusions which may have consequences in how we articulate certain concepts related to quantum theory. Behind the discussion, there is a general argument which suggests the possibility of a metaphysics of non-individuals, based on (...)
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  • Identity and individuality in quantum theory.Steven French - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
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  • Indistinguishability and the origins of contextuality in physics.José Acacio De Barros, Federico Holik & Décio Krause - 2019 - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A 377 (2157): 20190150.
    In this work, we discuss a formal way of dealing with the properties of contextual systems. Our approach is to assume that properties describing the same physical quantity, but belonging to different measurement contexts, are indistinguishable in a strong sense. To construct the formal theoretical structure, we develop a description using quasi-set theory, which is a set-theoretical framework built to describe collections of elements that violate Leibnitz's principle of identity of indiscernibles. This framework allows us to consider a new ontology (...)
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  • Quantum Logical Structures For Identical Particles.Federico Holik, Krause Decio & Gómez Ignacio - 2016 - Cadernos de História E Filosofia da Ciéncia 2 (1):13-58.
    In this work we discuss logical structures related to indistinguishable particles. Most of the framework used to develop these structures was presented in [17, 28] and in [20, 14, 15, 16]. We use these structures and constructions to discuss possible ontologies for identical particles. In other words, we use these structures in order to characterize the logical structure of quantum systems for the case of indistinguishable particles, and draw possible philosophical implications. We also review some proposals available in the literature (...)
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  • Castles Built on Clouds: Vague Identity and Vague Objects.Benjamin L. Curtis & Harold W. Noonan - 2014 - In Ken Akiba & Ali Abasnezhad (eds.), Vague Objects and Vague Identity: New Essays on Ontic Vagueness. Dordrecht, Netherland: Springer. pp. 305-326.
    Can identity itself be vague? Can there be vague objects? Does a positive answer to either question entail a positive answer to the other? In this paper we answer these questions as follows: No, No, and Yes. First, we discuss Evans’s famous 1978 argument and argue that the main lesson that it imparts is that identity itself cannot be vague. We defend the argument from objections and endorse this conclusion. We acknowledge, however, that the argument does not by itself establish (...)
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  • A formal framework for the study of the notion of undefined particle number in quantum mechanics.Newton C. A. da Costa & Federico Holik - 2015 - Synthese 192 (2):505-523.
    It is usually stated that quantum mechanics presents problems with the identity of particles, the most radical position—supported by E. Schrödinger—asserting that elementary particles are not individuals. But the subject goes deeper, and it is even possible to obtain states with an undefined particle number. In this work we present a set theoretical framework for the description of undefined particle number states in quantum mechanics which provides a precise logical meaning for this notion. This construction goes in the line of (...)
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  • Structural realism and the nature of structure.Jonas R. Becker Arenhart & Otávio Bueno - 2015 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 5 (1):111-139.
    Ontic Structural Realism is a version of realism about science according to which by positing the existence of structures, understood as basic components of reality, one can resolve central difficulties faced by standard versions of scientific realism. Structures are invoked to respond to two important challenges: one posed by the pessimist meta-induction and the other by the underdetermination of metaphysics by physics, which arises in non-relativistic quantum mechanics. We argue that difficulties in the proper understanding of what a structure is (...)
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  • Wither away individuals.Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart - 2013 - Synthese 190 (16):3475-3494.
    In this paper we deal with the problem of identity and individuality in quantum mechanics. We analyze three definitions of the concept of an individual and propose to check their merits in relation to the theory. In order to achieve our goals our approach also ties those definitions of individuality to two distinct kinds of naturalism in ontology: a strong version, according to which quantum mechanics must somehow authorize in a positive fashion the ontological concepts being dealt with, and a (...)
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  • Quantum Mechanics and Metaphysical Indeterminacy.George Darby - 2010 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 88 (2):227-245.
    There has been recent interest in formulating theories of non-representational indeterminacy. The aim of this paper is to clarify the relevance of quantum mechanics to this project. Quantum-mechanical examples of vague objects have been offered by various authors, displaying indeterminate identity, in the face of the famous Evans argument that such an idea is incoherent. It has also been suggested that the quantum-mechanical treatment of state-dependent properties exhibits metaphysical indeterminacy. In both cases it is important to consider the details of (...)
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  • Vague Objects and Vague Identity: New Essays on Ontic Vagueness.Ken Akiba & Ali Abasnezhad (eds.) - 2014 - Dordrecht, Netherland: Springer.
    This unique anthology of new, contributed essays offers a range of perspectives on various aspects of ontic vagueness. It seeks to answer core questions pertaining to onticism, the view that vagueness exists in the world itself. The questions to be addressed include whether vague objects must have vague identity, and whether ontic vagueness has a distinctive logic, one that is not shared by semantic or epistemic vagueness. The essays in this volume explain the motivations behind onticism, such as the plausibility (...)
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  • The received view on quantum non-individuality: formal and metaphysical analysis.Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart - 2017 - Synthese 194 (4).
    The Received View on quantum non-individuality is, roughly speaking, the view according to which quantum objects are not individuals. It seems clear that the RV finds its standard expression nowadays through the use of the formal apparatuses of non-reflexive logics, mainly quasi-set theory. In such logics, the relation of identity is restricted, so that it does not apply for terms denoting quantum particles; this “lack of identity” formally characterizes their non-individuality. We face then a dilemma: on the one hand, identity (...)
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  • Physics, inconsistency, and quasi-truth.Newton C. A. Da Costa & Décio Krause - 2014 - Synthese 191 (13):3041-3055.
    In this work, the first of a series, we study the nature of informal inconsistency in physics, focusing mainly on the foundations of quantum theory, and appealing to the concept of quasi-truth. We defend a pluralistic view of the philosophy of science, grounded on the existence of inconsistencies and on quasi-truth. Here, we treat only the ‘classical aspects’ of the subject, leaving for a forthcoming paper the ‘non-classical’ part.
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  • Finite Cardinals in Quasi-set Theory.Jonas R. Becker Arenhart - 2012 - Studia Logica 100 (3):437-452.
    Quasi-set theory is a ZFU-like axiomatic set theory, which deals with two kinds of ur-elements: M-atoms, objects like the atoms of ZFU, and m-atoms, items for which the usual identity relation is not defined. One of the motivations to advance such a theory is to deal properly with collections of items like particles in non-relativistic quantum mechanics when these are understood as being non-individuals in the sense that they may be indistinguishable although identity does not apply to them. According to (...)
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  • Making Sense of Non-Individuals in Quantum Mechanics.Jonas R. B. Arenhart, Otávio Bueno & Décio Krause - forthcoming - In Olimpia Lombardi, Sebastian Fortin, Cristian López & Frederico Holik (eds.), Quantum Worlds. Different Perspectives about the ontology of quantum mechanics. Cambridge University Press.
    In this work, we focus on a very specific case study: assuming that quantum theories deal with “particles” of some kind, what kind of entity can such particles be? One possible answer, the one we shall examine here, is that they are not the usual kind of object found in daily life: individuals. Rather, we follow a suggestion by Erwin Schrödinger, according to which quantum mechanics poses a revolutionary kind of entity: non-individuals. While physics, as a scientific field, is not (...)
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  • Descriptions in quantum mechanics.Décio Krause - 2017 - Logic Journal of the IGPL 25 (4):512-523.
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  • Ontology and the Mathematization of the Scientific Enterprise.Décio Krause, Jonas R. B. Arenhart & Newton C. A. da Costa - 2012 - Phainomenon 25 (1):109-130.
    In this basically expository paper we discuss the role oflogic and mathematics in researches concerning the ontology of scientific theories, and we consider the particular case of quantum mechanics. We argue that systems of logic in general, and classical logic in particular, may contribute substantially with the ontology of any theory that has this logic in its base. In the case of quantum mechanics, however, from the point of view of philosophical discussions conceming identity and individuality, those contributions may not (...)
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  • From primitive identity to the non-individuality of quantum objects.Jonas Becker Arenhart & Décio Krause - 2014 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 46 (2):273-282.
    We consider the claim by Dorato and Morganti 591–610) that primitive individuality should be attributed to the entities dealt with by non-relativistic quantum mechanics. There are two central ingredients in the proposal: in the case of non-relativistic quantum mechanics, individuality should be taken as a primitive notion and primitive individuality is naturalistically acceptable. We argue that, strictly understood, naturalism faces difficulties in helping to provide a theory with a unique principle of individuation. We also hold that even when taken in (...)
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  • Natural Kinds as Scientific Models.Luiz Henrique Dutra - 2011 - Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science 290:141-150.
    The concept of natural kind is center stage in the debates about scientific realism. Champions of scientific realism such as Richard Boyd hold that our most developed scientific theories allow us to “cut the world at its joints” (Boyd, 1981, 1984, 1991). In the long run we can disclose natural kinds as nature made them, though as science progresses improvements in theory allow us to revise the extension of natural kind terms.
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  • Indistinguibilidade, não reflexividade, ontologia e física quântica.Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart & Décio Krause - 2012 - Scientiae Studia 10 (1):41-69.
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  • Presenting Nonreflexive Quantum Mechanics: Formalism and Metaphysics.Décio Krause & Jonas R. B. Arenhart - unknown
    Nonreflexive quantum mechanics is a formulation of quantum theory based on a non- classical logic termed nonreflexive logic. In these logics, the standard notion of identity, as encapsulated in classical logic and set theories, does not hold in full. The basic aim of this kind of approach to quantum mechanics is to take seriously the claim made by some authors according to whom quantum particles are non-individuals in some sense, and also to take into account the fact that they may (...)
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  • Remarks on the Theory of Quasi-sets.Steven French & Décio Krause - 2010 - Studia Logica 95 (1-2):101 - 124.
    Quasi-set theory has been proposed as a means of handling collections of indiscernible objects. Although the most direct application of the theory is quantum physics, it can be seen per se as a non-classical logic (a non-reflexive logic). In this paper we revise and correct some aspects of quasi-set theory as presented in [12], so as to avoid some misunderstandings and possible misinterpretations about the results achieved by the theory. Some further ideas with regard to quantum field theory are also (...)
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  • The Quasi-lattice of Indiscernible Elements.Mauri Cunha do Nascimento, Décio Krause & Hércules Araújo Feitosa - 2011 - Studia Logica 97 (1):101-126.
    The literature on quantum logic emphasizes that the algebraic structures involved with orthodox quantum mechanics are non distributive. In this paper we develop a particular algebraic structure, the quasi-lattice ( $${\mathfrak{I}}$$ -lattice), which can be modeled by an algebraic structure built in quasi-set theory $${\mathfrak{Q}}$$. This structure is non distributive and involve indiscernible elements. Thus we show that in taking into account indiscernibility as a primitive concept, the quasi-lattice that ‘naturally’ arises is non distributive.
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  • Contradiction, Quantum Mechanics, and the Square of Opposition.Jonas R. B. Arenhart & Décio Krause - unknown
    We discuss the idea that superpositions in quantum mechanics may involve contradictions or contradictory properties. A state of superposition such as the one comprised in the famous Schrödinger’s cat, for instance, is sometimes said to attribute contradictory properties to the cat: being dead and alive at the same time. If that were the case, we would be facing a revolution in logic and science, since we would have one of our greatest scientific achievements showing that real contradictions exist.We analyze that (...)
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  • Oppositions and quantum mechanics.Jonas R. B. Arenhart & Décio Krause - unknown
    In this paper we deal with two applications of the square of opposition to controversial issues in the philosophy of quantum mechanics. The first one concerns the kind of opposition represented by states in superposition. A superposition of “spin up” and “spin down” for a given spatial direction, for instance, is sometimes said to originate particular kinds of opposition such as contradictoriness. The second application concerns the problem of identical particles. Identity and indiscernibility are entangled in discussions of this problem (...)
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  • A new chapter in the problem of the reduction of chemistry to physics: the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules.Jesus Alberto Jaimes Arriaga, Sebastian Fortin & Olimpia Lombardi - 2019 - Foundations of Chemistry 21 (1):125-136.
    The problem of the reduction of chemistry to physics has been traditionally addressed in terms of classical structural chemistry and standard quantum mechanics. In this work, we will study the problem from the perspective of the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules, proposed by Richard Bader in the nineties. The purpose of this article is to unveil the role of QTAIM in the inter-theoretical relations between chemistry and physics. We argue that, although the QTAIM solves two relevant obstacles to reduction (...)
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  • Paraconsistent Quasi-Set Theory.Décio Krause - unknown
    Paraconsistent logics are logics that can be used to base inconsistent but non-trivial systems. In paraconsistent set theories, we can quan- tify over sets that in standard set theories, if consistent, would lead to contradictions, such as the Russell set, R = fx : x =2 xg. Quasi-set theories are mathematical systems built for dealing with collections of indiscernible elements. The basic motivation for the development of quasi-set theories came from quantum physics, where indiscernible entities need to be considered. Usually, (...)
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  • Is Identity Really so Fundamental?Décio Krause & Jonas R. Becker Arenhart - 2019 - Foundations of Science 24 (1):51-71.
    We critically examine the claim that identity is a fundamental concept. According to those putting forward this thesis, there are four related reasons that can be called upon to ground the fundamental character of identity: identity is presupposed in every conceptual system; identity is required to characterize individuality; identity cannot be defined; the intelligibility of quantification requires identity. We address each of these points and argue that none of them advances compelling reasons to hold that identity is fundamental; in fact, (...)
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  • Structures and Models of Scientific Theories: A Discussion on Quantum Non-Individuality.Décio Krause & Jonas R. B. Arenhart - unknown
    In this paper we consider the notions of structure and models within the semantic approach to theories. To highlight the role of the mathematics used to build the structures which will be taken as the models of theories, we review the notion of mathematical structure and of the models of scientific theories. Then, we analyse a case-study and argue that if a certain metaphysical view of quantum objects is adopted, namely, that which sees them as non-individuals, then there would be (...)
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  • A discussion on quantum non-individuality.Décio Krause & Jonas R. Becker Arenhart - 2012 - Journal of Applied Non-Classical Logics 22 (1-2):105-124.
    In this paper we consider the notions of structure and models within the semantic approach to theories. To highlight the role of the mathematics used to build the structures which will be taken as the models of theories, we review the notion of mathematical structure and of the models of scientific theories. Then, we analyse a case-study and argue that if a certain metaphysical view of quantum objects is adopted, one seeing them as non-individuals, then there would be strong reasons (...)
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  • Sobre uma fundamentação não reflexiva da mecânica quântica.Newton Carneiro Affonso da Costa, Décio Krause, Jonas Rafael Becker Arenhart & Jaison Schinaider - 2012 - Scientiae Studia 10 (1):71-104.
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  • Quantifiers and the Foundations of Quasi-Set Theory.Jonas R. Becker Arenhart & Décio Krause - 2009 - Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology 13 (3):251-268.
    In this paper we discuss some questions proposed by Prof. Newton da Costa on the foundations of quasi-set theory. His main doubts concern the possibility of a reasonable semantical understanding of the theory, mainly due to the fact that identity and difference do not apply to some entities of the theory’s intended domain of discourse. According to him, the quantifiers employed in the theory, when understood in the usual way, rely on the assumption that identity applies to all entities in (...)
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  • Brazilian Studies in Philosophy and History of Science: An Account of Recent Works.Décio Krause & Antonio Videira (eds.) - 2010 - Dordrecht, Netherland: Springer.
    This volume, The Brazilian Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science, is the first attempt to present to a general audience, works from Brazil on this subject. The included papers are original, covering a remarkable number of relevant topics of philosophy of science, logic and on the history of science. The Brazilian community has increased in the last years in quantity and in quality of the works, most of them being published in respectable international journals on the subject. The (...)
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  • Non-reflexive Logical Foundation for Quantum Mechanics.Newton C. A. da Costa & Christian de Ronde - 2014 - Foundations of Physics 44 (12):1369-1380.
    On the one hand, non-reflexive logics are logics in which the principle of identity does not hold in general. On the other hand, quantum mechanics has difficulties regarding the interpretation of ‘particles’ and their identity, also known in the literature as ‘the problem of indistinguishable particles’. In this article, we will argue that non-reflexive logics can be a useful tool to account for such quantum indistinguishability. In particular, we will provide a particular non-reflexive logic that can help us to analyze (...)
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  • Quantum Mechanics, Ontology, and Non-Reflexive Logics.Décio Krause - unknown
    This is a general philosophical paper where I overview some of my ideas concerning the non-reflexive foundations of quantum mechanics. By NRFQM I mean an interpretation of QM that considers an involved on- tology of non-individuals as explained in the text. Thus, I do not endorse a purely instrumentalist view of QM, but believe that it speaks of something, and then I try to show that one of the plausible views of this ‘something’ is as entities devoided of identity conditions.
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