Physics Needs Philosophy. Philosophy Needs Physics

Contrary to claims about the irrelevance of philosophy for science, I argue that philosophy has had, and still has, far more influence on physics than is commonly assumed. I maintain that the current anti-philosophical ideology has had damaging effects on the fertility of science. I also suggest that recent important empirical results, such as the detection of the Higgs particle and gravitational waves, and the failure to detect supersymmetry where many expected to find it, question the validity of certain philosophical assumptions common among theoretical physicists, inviting us to engage in a clearer philosophical reflection on scientific method.     

Physics of photons. III

Wave equations are proposed for the photon which take the feasibility of a photon rest mass into account. It is shown that massless photons are asymmetrical in spin; massive photons which have mirror symmetry and exhibit the speed of light in a vacuum can be localized in either region. The solution is presented for the problem of the behavior of photons in a central field and the energy of coupled states is found.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 14–18, June, 1990.     

C. V. Raman and Colonial Physics: Acoustics and the Quantum

Presenting the social and historical context of Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, this paper clarifies the nature and development of his work in early twentieth-century colonial India. Raman’s early fascination with acoustics became the basis of his later insights into the nature of the light quantum. His work on light scattering played an important role in the experimental verification of quantum mechanics. In general, Raman’s worldview corrects certain Orientalist stereotypes about scientific practice in Asia.     

WULI(Physics, Bimonthly)TOTAL CONTENTS,Vol.7 No.1-6,1978

Subject & Writer No. p.On Certain Questions in Theoretical Physics……………………………………………Wang Zhu-xi(l)Preparations to Greet the National Science Conference Looking Ahead to a Bright Future ……………………………………………Wang De-zhao 2(65)Knowledge and ProgressRaman Spectra of Solids……………………………………………………………………… "Raman Effects in Solids" Resedrch Group,Institute of Physics,Academia Sinica 1(7)Rapidly Developing Methods of Surface Analysis……     

Physics and logic: Thales

Thales's protophysics is reconstructed with the help of the Steiner quasigroup. A three-valued logic is proposed, equivalent to it. The discovered connection between physics and logic is used to discuss the natural form of the logic of quantum mechanics.     

Book Review: Thermal Physics

Journal of Statistical Physics -     

Informing Physics: Jacob Bekenstein and the Informational Turn in Theoretical Physics

In his PhD dissertation in the early 1970s, the Mexican-Israeli theoretical physicist Jacob Bekenstein developed the thermodynamics of black holes using a generalized version of the second law of thermodynamics. This work made it possible for physicists to describe and analyze black holes using information-theoretical concepts. It also helped to transform information theory into a fundamental and foundational concept in theoretical physics. The story of Bekenstein’s work—which was initially opposed by many scientists, including Stephen Hawking—highlights the transformation within physics towards an information-oriented scientific mode of theorizing. This “informational turn” amounted to a mild-mannered revolution within physics, revolutionary without being rebellious.     

J.R. Leibowitz: Hidden Harmony. The Connected Worlds of Physics and Art.

The book Hidden Harmony—The Connected Worlds of Physics and Art by J.R. Leibowitz is critically reviewed. The book is intended for a general audience and does not assume prior knowledge of physics or the arts.