Abstract
The L. I. Mandelstam - M. Planck polemics concerning the theory of dispersion (1907-1908) are taken under consideration. Mandelstam attacked Planck’s theory published in 1904. Planck reacted by publishing a short reply in 1907. Mandelstam was not satisfied and published a paper where he provided a more detailed calculation (1908). Planck criticized his approach again (1908). Mandelstam published two more papers, but Planck did not react to these publications.From a historical point of view it is interesting that in the Soviet scientific literature, Mandelstam’s position was almost unanimously considered to be correct and powerful. The situation changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian physicists came to treat Planck’s position as the correct one. In this connection, the problem of scientific objectivity arises. The author emphasizes the ideological context of the scientific interpretation of facts. The phenomena of progressivism and introjection are taken under consideration.
Highlights
The present paper consists of two parts: historical and philosophical
The historical part consists of three divisions: 1) the Mandelstam-Planck polemics dedicated to the problem of dispersion, which occurred in 1907; 2) the treatment of this polemics in Soviet writings about Mandelstam the treatment of Mandelstam-Planck polemics by Russian scientists at the beginning of the 21st century
The Mandelstam–Planck polemics ceased” (2002: 90). In his 1913 article which will be described Mandelstam completely abandoned the postulate of optical homogeneity of a medium which he adopted in his articles dedicated to the criticism of Planck’s theory
Summary
The present paper consists of two parts: historical and philosophical. The historical part consists of three divisions: 1) the Mandelstam-Planck polemics dedicated to the problem of dispersion, which occurred in 1907 (context and quotations); 2) the treatment of this polemics in Soviet writings about Mandelstam (in his scientific biography written by his friends and coworkers, in biographical essays written later by Mandelstam’s disciples, in the reviews of the problem of dispersion written in Soviet scientific journals, books, and textbooks; 3) the treatment of Mandelstam-Planck polemics by Russian scientists at the beginning of the 21st century. The philosophical section takes the problem of scientific objectivity into account. This problem has been amply elucidated in the philosophical literature. The logical structure of this paper differs from the corresponding chapters of the book, most of the text has been rewritten, and the author’s book does not contain a philosophical discussion of the problem of scientific objectivity
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