Abstract
Professor Dr. Brigitte Falkenburg is one of the leading philosophers of science, a representative of the German school of philosophy of science. She wrote or edited about twenty books, and published more than hundred articles on the most topical issues of philosophy of science, philosophy of physics and philosophy of consciousness. Her work is attractive for its clarity, precision and depth of scientific and philosophical analysis. Some of her prominent books include: “Particle metaphysics: A critical account of subatomic reality” (2007), “Kant’s cosmology: From the Pre-Critical System to the Antinomy of Pure Reason” (2020) etc. In this interview, Prof. Falkenburg talks about her career path, main directions of her research, her books and new projects. Topics such as neo-Kantian philosophy of physics, scientific realism, interpretations of quantum mechanics, reality of virtual particles, the hard problem of consciousness, inductive metaphysics, the limits of scientific knowledge and others are discussed.
Highlights
I studied physics, but when it came to quantum mechanics, I wanted to understand the foundations and started to read books on the philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics
I read the German translation of Blokhintsev’s “Foundation of Quantum Mechanics”, and a little bit later I found Peter Mittelstaedt’s “Philosophische Probleme der modernen Physik” (“Philosophical Problems of Modern Physics”), which is a Kantian approach to the foundations of physics, and became interested in Kant’s philosophy
IP: What are the main directions of your research work? BF: My main directions of research are philosophy of science, traditional philosophy of nature (Kant, sometimes still Hegel), neo-Kantian philosophy of science, philosophy of technology, and the methods of natural science vs. cultural and social science
Summary
IP: First of all, maybe a little bit personal question: you studied physics and philosophy at several German universities. I studied physics, but when it came to quantum mechanics, I wanted to understand the foundations and started to read books on the philosophical interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
