The logic of modern physicsBridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams)
Philosophy
The logic of modern physics
Bridgman, P. W. (Percy Williams)
Physics -- Philosophy
A precise analysis of our conceptual structure has never been attempted,
except perhaps in very restricted domains, and it seems to me that there
is room here for much important future work. Such an analysis is not to
be attempted in this essay, but only some of the more important
qualitative aspects are to be pointed out. It will never be possible to
give a clean-cut logical analysis of the conceptual situation, for the
nature of our concepts, according to our operational point of view, is
the same as the nature of experimental knowledge, which is often hazy.
Thus in the transition regions where nature is getting simpler and the
number of operationally independent concepts changes, a certain haziness
is inevitable, for the actual change in our conceptual structure in
these transition regions is continuous, corresponding to the continuity
of our experimental knowledge, whereas formally the number of concepts
should be an integer.
_The Relative Character of Knowledge_
Two other consequences of the operational point of view must now be
examined. First is the consequence that all our knowledge is relative.
This may be understood in a general or a more particular sense. The
general sense is illustrated in Haldane's book on the _Reign of
Relativity_. Relativity in the general sense is the merest truism if the
operational definition of concept is accepted, for experience is
described in terms of concepts, and since our concepts are constructed
of operations, all our knowledge must unescapably be relative to the
operations selected. But knowledge is also relative in a narrower sense,
as when we say there is no such thing as absolute rest (or motion) or
absolute size, but rest and size are relative terms. Conclusions of this
kind are involved in the specific character of the operations in terms
of which rest or size are defined. An examination of the operations by
which we determine whether a body is at rest or in motion shows that the
operations are relative operations: rest or motion is determined with
respect to some other body selected as the standard. In saying that
there is no such thing as absolute rest or motion we are not making a
statement about nature in the sense that might be supposed, but we are
merely making a statement about the character of our descriptive
processes. Similarly with regard to size: examination of the operations
of the measuring process shows that size is measured relative to the
fundamental measuring rod.
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