On fundamentals, logic, and the connection between the natural sciences

Abstract

AbstractThe importance of deductive theories in the modern natural sciences built essentially on experiments is briefly discussed. The logical structure of the deductive theories, their axioms, undefined quantities, and realizations is treated in some detail. In all the natural sciences, there is a striving to explain all the various phenomena in nature in terms of a few basic principles, and this “reductionism” leads to a certain amount of unification of these sciences. The chain that goes from biology, over molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and physics to the description of nature in terms of the elementary particles obeying the laws of modern quantum chemistry is reviewed. Since all the measurements of microcosmos involve an observer, who according to the Copenhagen school experiences the outside universe as a projection on his or her mind through his or her senses, some theoreticians may be inclined to reduce the natural sciences to the human mind as the fundamental (undefined) quantity. However, since the observer is a biological structure, one is also back where one started, and it is evident that one can start the reduction or unification of the natural sciences in any point on this circle (or spiral). Hence, there are many descriptions of the natural sciences and their connections that are possible—as illustrated at this symposium. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.