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  1. The value of vague ideas in the development of the periodic system of chemical elements.Vogt Thomas - 2021 - Synthese 199 (3-4):10587-10614.
    The exploration of chemical periodicity over the past 250 years led to the development of the Periodic System of Elements and demonstrates the value of vague ideas that ignored early scientific anomalies and instead allowed for extended periods of normal science where new methodologies and concepts are developed. The basic chemical element provides this exploration with direction and explanation and has shown to be a central and historically adaptable concept for a theory of matter far from the reductionist frontier. This (...)
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  • A Philosophical Analysis of the Relation between Chemistry and Quantum Mechanics.Vanessa Seifert - 2019 - Dissertation, University of Bristol
    This thesis investigates the epistemological and metaphysical relations between chemistry and quantum mechanics. These relations are examined with respect to how chemistry and quantum mechanics each describe a single inert molecule. A review of how these relations are understood in the literature shows that there is a proliferation of positions which focus on how chemistry is separate from quantum mechanics. This proliferation is accompanied by a tendency within the philosophy of chemistry community to connect the legitimacy of the field with (...)
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  • Incompatible models in chemistry: the case of electronegativity.Hernán Lucas Accorinti - 2019 - Foundations of Chemistry 21 (1):71-81.
    During the second half of the nineteenth century, electronegativity has been one of the most relevant chemical concepts to explain the relationships between chemical substances and their possible reactions. Specifically, EN is a property of the substances that allows them to attract external electrons in bonding situations. The problem arises because EN cannot be measured directly. Indeed, the only way to measure it is through different properties that do can be directly measured, for instance enthalpy, ionization energies or electron affinities. (...)
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  • A Novel Approach to Emergence in Chemistry.Alexandru Manafu - 2015 - In Eric Scerri & L. McIntyre (eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry. Growth of a New Discipline. Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science. Volume 306. Berlin: Springer. pp. 39-55.
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  • Idealization in Chemistry: Pure Substance and Laboratory Product.Manuel Fernández-González - 2013 - Science & Education 22 (7):1723-1740.
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  • (1 other version)Let us build better boats: an answer to Jeffrey Seeman’s “Moving beyond insularity in the history, philosophy, and sociology of chemistry”.Sebastian Fortin, Olimpia Lombardi & Juan Camilo Martínez González - 2018 - Foundations of Chemistry 20 (3):261-264.
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  • An alternative approach to unifying chemistry with quantum mechanics.Vanessa A. Seifert - 2017 - Foundations of Chemistry 19 (3):209-222.
    Harold Kincaid in Individualism and the Unity of Science postulates a model of unity-without-reduction in order to accurately describe the relation between individualism and macroeconomics. I present this model and apply it to the description of the relation between chemistry and quantum mechanics. I argue that, when it comes to the description of molecular structure, chemistry and quantum mechanics are unified in Kincaid’s sense. Specifically, the two disciplines contribute to the formation of a unified body of knowledge with respect to (...)
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  • Philosophy of chemistry: unkempt jungle and fertile ground: Eric Scerri and Lee McIntyre : Philosophy of chemistry: Growth of a new discipline . Dordrecht: Springer, 2015. xii+233pp, $99 HB.Micah Newman - 2016 - Metascience 25 (3):473-477.
    Invited review of the anthology of new papers _Philosophy of Chemistry: Growth of a New Discipline_.
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  • International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching.Michael R. Matthews (ed.) - 2014 - Springer.
    This inaugural handbook documents the distinctive research field that utilizes history and philosophy in investigation of theoretical, curricular and pedagogical issues in the teaching of science and mathematics. It is contributed to by 130 researchers from 30 countries; it provides a logically structured, fully referenced guide to the ways in which science and mathematics education is, informed by the history and philosophy of these disciplines, as well as by the philosophy of education more generally. The first handbook to cover the (...)
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  • Irreversibilidad y pluralismo ontológico.Martín Labarca & Olimpia Lombardi - 2007 - Scientiae Studia 5 (2):139-67.
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  • Why orbitals do not exist?Martín Labarca & Olimpia Lombardi - 2010 - Foundations of Chemistry 12 (2):149-157.
    In this paper we will address the problem of the existence of orbitals by analyzing the relationship between molecular chemistry and quantum mechanics. In particular, we will consider the concept of orbital in the light of the arguments that deny its referring character. On this basis, we will conclude that the claim that orbitals do not exist relies on a metaphysical reductionism which, if consistently sustained, would lead to consequences clashing with the effective practice of science in its different branches.
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  • The value of laws in chemistry.Vanessa A. Seifert - 2024 - Foundations of Chemistry 26 (3):355-368.
    In philosophy, the empirical success of a science is often explained by the fact that it has managed to discover some law(s) of nature. This line of thought has not been thoroughly explored with respect to chemistry. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap by showing how we could think about laws in chemistry. Specifically, it briefly presents how laws of nature are understood in philosophy of science. It then discusses two case studies from chemistry—the periodic table (...)
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  • What is the electron density?Sebastian Fortin & Olimpia Lombardi - 2024 - Foundations of Chemistry 26 (3):371-383.
    Although the electron density can be calculated with the formal resources of quantum mechanics, in physics it does not play the leading role that the quantum state does. In contrast, the concept of electron density is central in quantum chemistry. There is no doubt about how the electron density is computed in terms of the wave function of an atom or molecule. However, when the interpretation of the concept is at stake, there is no general agreement. In this article we (...)
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  • (1 other version)Distinguishing Between Inter-domain and Intra-domain Emergence.María J. Ferreira Ruiz & Olimpia Lombardi - 2019 - Foundations of Science 24 (1):133-151.
    Currently, there are almost as many conceptions of emergence as authors who address the issue. Most literature on the matter focuses either on discussing, evaluating and comparing particular contributions or accounts of emergence, or on assessing a particular case study. Our aim in this paper is rather different. We here set out to introduce a distinction that has not been sufficiently taken into account in previous discussions on this topic: the distinction between inter-domain emergence—a relation between items belonging to different (...)
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  • The relationship between chemistry and physics from the perspective of Bohmian mechanics.Juan Camilo Martínez González, Olimpia Lombardi & Sebastian Fortin - 2017 - Foundations of Chemistry 19 (1):43-59.
    Although during the last decades the philosophy of chemistry has greatly extended its thematic scope, the main difficulties appear in the attempt to link the chemical description of atoms and molecules and the description supplied by quantum mechanics. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the difficulties that threaten the continuous conceptual link between molecular chemistry and quantum mechanics can be overcome or, at least, moderated from the perspective of BM. With this purpose, in “The quantum-mechanical challenges” section (...)
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  • (1 other version)Distinguishing Between Inter-domain and Intra-domain Emergence.Olimpia Lombardi & María J. Ferreira Ruiz - 2019 - Foundations of Science 24 (1):133-151.
    Currently, there are almost as many conceptions of emergence as authors who address the issue. Most literature on the matter focuses either on discussing, evaluating and comparing particular contributions or accounts of emergence, or on assessing a particular case study. Our aim in this paper is rather different. We here set out to introduce a distinction that has not been sufficiently taken into account in previous discussions on this topic: the distinction between inter-domain emergence—a relation between items belonging to different (...)
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  • The relationship between chemistry and physics from the perspective of Bohmian mechanics.Sebastian Fortin, Olimpia Lombardi & Juan Camilo Martínez - unknown
    Although during the last decades the philosophy of chemistry has greatly extended its thematic scope, the main difficulties appear in the attempt to link the chemical description of atoms and molecules and the description supplied by quantum mechanics. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the difficulties that threaten the continuous conceptual link between molecular chemistry and quantum mechanics can be overcome or, at least, moderated from the perspective of BM. With this purpose, in “The quantum-mechanical challenges” section (...)
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  • A new application of the modal-Hamiltonian interpretation of quantum mechanics: The problem of optical isomerism.Sebastian Fortin, Olimpia Lombardi & Juan Camilo Martínez González - 2018 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 62:123-135.
    The modal-Hamiltonian interpretation belongs to the modal family of interpretations of quantum mechanics. By endowing the Hamiltonian with the role of selecting the subset of the definite-valued observables of the system, it accounts for ideal and non-ideal measurements, and also supplies a criterion to distinguish between reliable and non-reliable measurements in the non-ideal case. It can be reformulated in an explicitly invariant form, in terms of the Casimir operators of the Galilean group, and the compatibility of the MHI with the (...)
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  • Chemistry, context and the objects of thought.Robert Prentner - 2017 - Foundations of Chemistry 19 (1):29-41.
    In this paper we wish to raise the following question: which conceptual obstacles need to be overcome to arrive at a scientific and theoretical understanding of the mind? In the course of this examination, we shall encounter methodological and explanatory challenges and discuss them from the point of view of the philosophy of chemistry and quantum mechanics. This will eventually lead us to a discussion of emergence and metaphysics, thereby focusing on the status of objects. The question remains whether this (...)
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  • Il ruolo del sistema periodico degli elementi nel caratterizzare la chimica classica come teoria scientifica.Antonio Drago - 2014 - Epistemologia 37 (1):37-57.
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  • Entre mecánica cuántica y estructuras químicas: ¿a qué refiere la química cuántica?Olimpia Lombardi & Juan Camilo Martínez González - 2012 - Scientiae Studia 10 (4):649-670.
    El propósito del presente trabajo consiste en abordar la pregunta por la ontología de la química cuántica. Para ello nos concentraremos en el concepto de enlace químico desde la perspectiva de los dos enfoques a través de los cuales la ecuación de Schrödinger se aplica a los sistemas químicos moleculares: la teoría del enlace de valencia (EV) y la teoría del orbital molecular (OM). Sobre la base de la presentación de ambos enfoques y su comparación, señalaremos que, a pesar de (...)
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  • Stuff versus individuals.Lucía Lewowicz & Olimpia Lombardi - 2012 - Foundations of Chemistry 15 (1):65-77.
    The general question to be considered in this paper points to the nature of the world described by chemistry: what is macro-chemical ontology like? In particular, we want to identify the ontological categories that underlie chemical discourse and chemical practice. This is not an easy task, because modern Western metaphysics was strongly modeled by theoretical physics. For this reason, we attempt to answer our question by contrasting macro-chemical ontology with the mainstream ontology of physics and of traditional metaphysics. In particular, (...)
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  • The autonomy of chemistry: old and new problems. [REVIEW]Rein Vihalemm - 2010 - Foundations of Chemistry 13 (2):97-107.
    The autonomy of chemistry and the legitimacy of the philosophy of chemistry are usually discussed in the context of the issue of reduction of chemistry to physics, and defended making use of the failure of reductionistic claims. Until quite recent times a rather widespread viewpoint was, however, that the failure of reductionistic claims concerns actually epistemological aspect of reduction only, but the ontological reduction of chemistry to physics cannot be denied. The new problems of the autonomy of chemistry in the (...)
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  • A general conceptual framework for decoherence in closed and open systems.Mario Castagnino, Roberto Laura & Olimpia Lombardi - 2007 - Philosophy of Science 74 (5):968-980.
    In this paper we argue that the formalisms for decoherence originally devised to deal just with closed or open systems can be subsumed under a general conceptual framework, in such a way that they cooperate in the understanding of the same physical phenomenon. This new perspective dissolves certain conceptual difficulties of the einselection program but, at the same time, shows that the openness of the quantum system is not the essential ingredient for decoherence. †To contact the authors, please write to: (...)
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  • Ontological reduction: A comment on Lombardi and labarca.Paul Needham - 2006 - Foundations of Chemistry 8 (1):73-80.
    In a recent article in this journal (Foundations of Chemistry, 7 (2005), 125–148) Lombardi and Labarca call into question a thesis of ontological reduction to which several writers on reduction subscribe despite rejecting a thesis of epistemological reduction. Lombardi and Labarca advocate instead a pluralistic ontology inspired by Putnam’s internal realism. I suggest that it is not necessary to go so far, and that a more critical view of the ontological reduction espoused by the authors they criticise circumvents the need (...)
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  • Emergence and reduction in chemistry: Ontological or epistemological concepts?Lee McIntyre - 2007 - Synthese 155 (3):337-343.
    In this paper I argue that the ontological interpretation of the concepts of reduction and emergence is often misleading in the philosophy of science and should nearly always be eschewed in favor of an epistemological interpretation. As a paradigm case, an example is drawn from the philosophy of chemistry to illustrate the drawbacks of “ontological reduction” and “ontological emergence,” and the virtues of an epistemological interpretation of these concepts.
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  • Interview with Olimpia Lombardi.Eric R. Scerri - 2022 - Foundations of Chemistry 25 (1):101-117.
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  • (1 other version)Let us build better boats: an answer to Jeffrey Seeman’s “Moving beyond insularity in the history, philosophy, and sociology of chemistry”.Juan Camilo Martínez González, Olimpia Lombardi & Sebastian Fortin - 2018 - Foundations of Chemistry 20 (3):261-264.
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  • About the nature of the wave function and its dimensionality: the case of quantum chemistry.Sebastian Fortin & Jesús Alberto Jaimes Arriaga - unknown
    The problem of the 3N dimensions of the wave function is of particular interest in the philosophy of physics. In this work, we will recall the main positions about the nature and dimensionality of the wave function and we will introduce a new perspective, coming from quantum chemistry. For this, we will bring to light the formal operations that underlie the independent electron approximation. On this basis, we will point out how quantum chemistry can offer new arguments that contribute to (...)
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  • From Corpuscles to Elements: Chemical Ontologies from Van Helmont to Lavoisier.Marina Paola Banchetti-Robino - 2014 - In Eric Scerri & Lee McIntyre (eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry: Growth of a New Discipline. Springer. pp. 141-154.
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  • Prigogine and the many voices of nature.Olimpia Lombardi - 2011 - Foundations of Chemistry 14 (3):205-219.
    Ilya Prigogine was not a systematic author: his ideas, covering a wide arch of areas, are dispersed in his many writings. In particular, his philosophical thought has to be reconstructed mainly on the basis of his works in collaboration with Isabelle Stengers: La Nouvelle Alliance ( 1979 ), Order out of Chaos ( 1984 ), and Entre le Temps et l’Éternité ( 1988 ). In this paper I undertake that reconstruction in order to argue that Prigogine’s position, when read in (...)
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  • Chemical reduction and quantum interpretation: A case for thomistic emergence.Ryan Miller - 2023 - Foundations of Chemistry 25 (3):405-417.
    The debate between ontological reductionists and emergentists in chemistry has revolved around quantum mechanics. What Franklin and Seifert (BJPS 2020) add to the long-running dispute is an attention to the measurement problem. They contend that all three realist interpretations of the quantum formalism capable of resolving the measurement problem also obviate any need for chemical emergence. I push their argument further, arguing that the realist interpretations of quantum mechanics actually subvert the basis for reduction as well, by undercutting the idea (...)
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  • Special theory of relativity in chemistry.Nenad Raos - 2022 - Foundations of Chemistry 24 (1):87-95.
    Application of Einstein special theory of relativity in chemistry seems to be superfluous; energies are too low. The average velocity of electron in hydrogen atom is 1/135 c, making its actual mass only 26,6 ppm bigger than the rest mass. However, for heavier elements relativistic effects have to be taken into account and, more, many phenomena cannot be explained without ascribing new mass to electrons, in accordance with Einstein theory. In this paper such phenomena are described: color of metallic gold (...)
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  • Constitutive Pluralism of Chemistry: Thought Planning, Curriculum, Epistemological and Didactic Orientations.Marcos Antonio Pinto Ribeiro & Duarte Costa Pereira - 2013 - Science & Education 22 (7):1809-1837.
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  • How to handle nanomaterials? The re-entry of individuals into the philosophy of chemistry.Mariana Córdoba & Alfio Zambon - 2017 - Foundations of Chemistry 19 (3):185-196.
    In this paper we will argue that the categories of physical individuals and chemical stuff are not sufficient to face the chemical ontology if nanomaterials are taken into account. From a perspective that considers ontological questions and wonders which the items involved in science are, we will argue that the domain of nanoscience must be considered as populated by entities that are neither individuals, as those of physics, nor stuff, as those items of macro-chemistry. This discussion, in virtue of the (...)
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  • Chemical supervenience.Micah Newman - 2007 - Foundations of Chemistry 10 (1):49-62.
    This paper surveys some ways in which the chemical realm can be described and outlined in terms of the concept of supervenience. The particular contours of general chemical theory provide a ready basis for interpretation of determination, covariance, and nonreduction—the characteristic metaphysical facets of the supervenience relation—in mutual terms. Building on this, the extent to which chemically characterized properties and entities can be described in terms of a supervenience-scaffolded structure represents a particularly vivid application that philosophers in general interested in (...)
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  • About the Concept of Molecular Structure.Olimpia Lombardi & Giovanni Villani - forthcoming - Foundations of Science.
    The concept of molecular structure is one of the most important concepts of chemistry. In fact, molecular structure is closely related to the concept of chemical substance and its set of properties, and it is the main factor in the explanation of reactivity. In fact, much of the behavior of substances is explained in terms of the structure of their component molecules. This may explain why people tend to take the notion of molecular structure for granted. However, the problem begins (...)
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  • The case of phonons: explanatory or ontological priority.Hernán Lucas Accorinti, Sebastian Fortin, Manuel Herrera & Jesús Alberto Jaimes Arriaga - unknown
    Recent discussions about the microstructure of materials generally focus on the ontological aspects of the molecular structure. However, there are many types of substances that cannot be studied by means of the concept of molecule, for example, salts. For the quantum treatment of these substances, a new particle, called phonon, is introduced. Phonons are generally conceived as a pseudo-particle, that is, a mathematical device necessary to perform calculations but which does not have a "real" existence. In this context, the aim (...)
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  • Emergence, Learning Difficulties, and Misconceptions in Chemistry Undergraduate Students’ Conceptualizations of Acid Strength.Halil Tümay - 2016 - Science & Education 25 (1-2):21-46.
    Philosophical debates about chemistry have clarified that the issue of emergence plays a critical role in the epistemology and ontology of chemistry. In this article, it is argued that the issue of emergence has also significant implications for understanding learning difficulties and finding ways of addressing them in chemistry. Particularly, it is argued that many misconceptions in chemistry may derive from students’ failure to consider emergence in a systemic manner by taking into account all relevant factors in conjunction. Based on (...)
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  • The ontological autonomy of the chemical world: A response to Needham. [REVIEW]Olimpia Lombardi & Martín Labarca - 2006 - Foundations of Chemistry 8 (1):81-92.
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  • Chemistry is pluralistic.Klaus Ruthenberg & Ave Mets - 2020 - Foundations of Chemistry 22 (3):403-419.
    Recently, philosophers have come forth with approaches to chemistry based on its actual practice, imparting to it a proper aim and character of its own. These approaches add to the currently growing movement of pluralist philosophies of science. We draw on recent pluralist accounts from chemistry and analyse three notions from modern chemical practice and theory in terms of these accounts, in order to complement the so far more general pluralist approaches with specific evidence. Our survey reveals that the concept (...)
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  • Nanomaterials and Intertheoretical Relations: Macro and Nanochemistry as Emergent Levels.Alfio Zambon & Mariana Córdoba - 2021 - Foundations of Science 26 (2):355-370.
    The purpose of this work is to discuss which relation can be established between molecular chemistry, on the one hand, and macrochemistry and nanochemistry, on the other hand. In order to do this, we will consider molecular chemistry as an underlying level, and macrochemistry and nanochemistry as emergent levels. Emergence is characterized in very different ways in the philosophical literature; we will not discuss those differences. We will address a distinction between inter-domain emergence and intra-domain emergence. It is our purpose (...)
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  • A new definition of reduction between two scientific theories: no reduction of chemistry to quantum mechanics.Antonino Drago - 2020 - Foundations of Chemistry 22 (3):421-445.
    All suggested notions of reduction of two scientific theories are critically reviewed and analyzed. In particular those applied to the case of the alleged reduction of Chemistry to Quantum mechanics are examined. Since it is recognized that the weakness of this field of research is the lack of a definition of a scientific theory, it is suggested that a scientific theory is characterized by two choices regarding two dichotomies, that is, the kind of mathematics and the kind of logic. According (...)
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  • Why molecular structure cannot be strictly reduced to quantum mechanics.Juan Camilo Martínez González, Sebastian Fortin & Olimpia Lombardi - 2018 - Foundations of Chemistry 21 (1):31-45.
    Perhaps the hottest topic in the philosophy of chemistry is that of the relationship between chemistry and physics. The problem finds one of its main manifestations in the debate about the nature of molecular structure, given by the spatial arrangement of the nuclei in a molecule. The traditional strategy to address the problem is to consider chemical cases that challenge the definition of molecular structure in quantum–mechanical terms. Instead of taking that top-down strategy, in this paper we face the problem (...)
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  • Emergence and Reduction in Science. A Case Study.Alexandru Manafu - unknown
    The past decade or so has witnessed an increase in the number of philosophical discussions about emergence and reduction in science. However, many of these discussions (though not all) remain too abstract and theoretical, and are wanting with respect to concrete examples taken from the sciences. This dissertation studies the topics of reduction and emergence in the context of a case study. I focus on the case of chemistry and investigate how emergentism can help us secure the autonomy of this (...)
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  • “Less is more” and the art of modeling complex phenomena: Simplification may but need not be the key to handle large networks.Peter Schuster - 2005 - Complexity 11 (2):11-13.
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  • Linking chemistry with physics: arguments and counterarguments. [REVIEW]Olimpia Lombardi - 2013 - Foundations of Chemistry 16 (3):181-192.
    The many-faced relationship between chemistry and physics is one of the most discussed topics in the philosophy of chemistry. In his recent book Reducing Chemistry to Physics. Limits, Models, Consequences, Hinne Hettema conceives this relationship as a reduction link, and devotes his work to defend this position on the basis of a “naturalized” concept of reduction. In the present paper I critically review three kinds of issues stemming from Hettema’s argumentation: philosophical, scientific and methodological.
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  • Internal realism and the problem of ontological autonomy: a critical note on Lombardi and Labarca.Alexandru Manafu - 2012 - Foundations of Chemistry 15 (2):225-228.
    This paper discusses the proposal made by Lombardi and Labarca (Found Chem 7:125–148, 2005) that internal realism can secure the ontological autonomy of chemistry. I argue that internal realism is not, by itself, sufficient to accomplish this task. The fact that conceptual schemes may differ with respect to their theoretical virtues, and the possibility that the relations between them may be reductive undermine the premise that each conceptual scheme has an equal right to define its own ontology, which is a (...)
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  • Nagel's analysis of reduction: Comments in defense as well as critique.Paul Needham - 2010 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 41 (2):163-170.
    Despite all the criticism showered on Nagel’s classic account of reduction, it meets a fundamental desideratum in an analysis of reduction that is difficult to question, namely of providing for a proper identification of the reducing theory. This is not clearly accommodated in radically different accounts. However, the same feature leads me to question Nagel’s claim that the reducing theory can be separated from the putative bridge laws, and thus to question his notion of heterogeneous reduction. A further corollary to (...)
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  • Technology as prospective ontology.Arie Rip - 2009 - Synthese 168 (3):405 - 422.
    Starting from common-sense notions of ‘furniture of the world’ a process ontology is developed in which prospective is an integral part. Technology as configurations that work (precariously) embodies expectations which structure further development. Examples (a cloned puppy, hotel keys, DC airplanes, stem cells, and overpasses on Long Island) are used to develop the notion of material narratives that are “written”, not just by engineers and designers/producers, but also by users: “reading” implies some further “writing”. In contrast to prevailing notions of (...)
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