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Modern physics was built by men and women who were passionate about the history and foundations of physics. Einstein read and often credited Ernst Mach's critical history of classical mechanics as a major influence on him, an influence that was crucial for the creation of both special and general relativity. Throughout his life he exchanged dozens of letters with the philosophers of his time, criticising both (Neo)-Kantianism and logical empiricism alike; and explicating his own interpretation of general relativity. This was especially evident in his correspondence with Moritz Schlick and Hans Reichenbach. Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Wolfgang Pauli likewise read widely about philosophy and about the history of physics, and credited these influences not just as inspriration for their own discoveries, but as vital tools both for finding as well as interpreting the new quantum mechanics.
The new Lichtenberg group in History and Philosophy of Physics at the University of Bonn is based on the idea that a particularly productive way to do philosophy of physics is to take a cue from the greats and thus commit to integrated history and philosophy of physics. This means doing research close to the actual practice of physics, to study primary sources, like published and unpublished manuscripts and correspondence, from the physicists that created the theory at hand, or that made the experimental discovery in question. The aim is twofold; on one hand, to find out what these thinkers really thought, and on the other, to find new (to philosophers) thoughts about how physics could be interpreted and understood.
The focus of the Lichtenberg group is the analysis of our modern theories of space, time, and gravitation, especially of the general theory of relativity. Much work thus far has focused on the context of discovery and interpretation of the Einstein field equations of 1915; much less work has been done on the solutions that have subsequently been found to these equations. But it is the solutions to the Einstein equations that describe stars, universes, black holes and gravitational waves; it is the solution space of the field equations where the general theory of relativity touches reality in the most direct way.
The main aim of the Lichtenberg group is to close this gap, and to understand general relativity through its applications - describing black holes, gravitational waves, and the universe as a whole. For details, please see the Research pages.
Funding for the Lichtenberg group is generously provided by the Volkswagen Foundation and by the University of Bonn.
The new Lichtenberg group in History and Philosophy of Physics at the University of Bonn is based on the idea that a particularly productive way to do philosophy of physics is to take a cue from the greats and thus commit to integrated history and philosophy of physics. This means doing research close to the actual practice of physics, to study primary sources, like published and unpublished manuscripts and correspondence, from the physicists that created the theory at hand, or that made the experimental discovery in question. The aim is twofold; on one hand, to find out what these thinkers really thought, and on the other, to find new (to philosophers) thoughts about how physics could be interpreted and understood.
The focus of the Lichtenberg group is the analysis of our modern theories of space, time, and gravitation, especially of the general theory of relativity. Much work thus far has focused on the context of discovery and interpretation of the Einstein field equations of 1915; much less work has been done on the solutions that have subsequently been found to these equations. But it is the solutions to the Einstein equations that describe stars, universes, black holes and gravitational waves; it is the solution space of the field equations where the general theory of relativity touches reality in the most direct way.
The main aim of the Lichtenberg group is to close this gap, and to understand general relativity through its applications - describing black holes, gravitational waves, and the universe as a whole. For details, please see the Research pages.
Funding for the Lichtenberg group is generously provided by the Volkswagen Foundation and by the University of Bonn.