Qualitative Physics in a Metaphysical Perspective

Aleksandr Kulieshov

doi:10.22178/pos.44-5

Abstract

The article deals with the problem concerning the possibility of qualitative physics paradigm development and its close connection with metaphysics. The idea of qualitative physics is based on the principles of Aristotelian physics and is opposed to quantitative modern physics (classical and non-classical). It is stated that the essential difference between the two physical paradigms lies in the ways of describing physical objects. Qualitative physics presuppose the qualitative description of physical objects independent of their quantitative description. In normal nowadays physics, on the contrary, physical objects are regarded to be fully determined through quantitative (numerical and structural-analytical) relationships with other objects. The statements of modern physics are considered reasonable if they can be self-consistently expressed by the apparatus of mathematics. The article shows that this way of describing and explaining physical reality is incomplete. There is ground to assert that the quantitative relations of physical objects do not encompass everything that exists in the relations of physical objects. It is argued that there are qualitative aspects of physical reality that are not defined quantitatively and may become the content of special qualitative physics. The conclusion is made that such qualitative physics in its principles and language must be close to traditional metaphysics and can appear to be an application of metaphysics to the field of physical reality.

Highlights

The term “qualitative physics” has nowadays at least two spheres of application
The article shows that this way of describing and explaining physical reality is incomplete
Qualitative physics understood in this way does not preclude the formalization of qualitative parameters, their expression in mathematical form, which should facilitate the transfer of qualitative physical reasoning to the level of machine intelligence

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The term “qualitative physics” has nowadays at least two spheres of application. One concerns a branch of physical research connected with artificial intelligence having been formed in USA in 80-90-ies of the 20th century. The purpose of the analysis in Aristotle’s physics is to explain the qualitative transformations to which the quantitative ones are reduced (increase and decrease in quantity, movement) Another feature of Aristotle’s qualitative physics is that it lacks mathematical apparatus as a means of expression and a way of grounding its statements. That there is the possibility to have a qualitative point of view on physical reality, which is to some extent an alternative view of things and which may fill those gaps in the picture of reality that are inevitable when explaining the world by means of mathematized physics This is, not the restoration of Aristotle’s physics in the form in which it existed. It will be demonstrated that in addition to the quality principle itself, such physics is similar to the Aristotelian one in its closer connection with metaphysics

AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION