Abstract
Boltzmann’s Bildtheorie, which asserts that scientific theories are ‘mental pictures’ having at best a partial similarity to reality, was a core element of his philosophy of science. The aim of this article is to draw attention to a neglected aspect of it, namely its significance for the issue of scientific explanation and understanding, regarded by Boltzmann as central goals of science. I argue that, in addition to being an epistemological view of the interpretation of scientific theories Boltzmann’s Bildtheorie has implications for the nature of scientific understanding. This aspect has as yet been ignored because discussion of the Bildtheorie has been restricted to the realism-instrumentalism debate. To elucidate my analysis of Boltzmann’s Bildtheorie concrete examples are presented, and the pragmatist and Darwinist roots of Boltzmann’s view are discussed.
Moreover, I propose to use Boltzmann’s ideas as a starting-point for developing a novel analysis of the notion of scientific understanding, of which a brief impression is given. It shows that the study of Boltzmann’s philosophy is not only of historical interest but can be relevant also to modern philosophy of science and to the methodology of theoretical physics.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Blackmore, J. (ed): 1995a, Ludwig Boltzmann, His Later Life and Philosophy, 1900-1906. Book One: A Documentary History, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Blackmore, J.: 1995b, Ludwig Boltzmann, His Later Life and Philosophy, 1900-1906. Book Two: The Philosopher, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Boltzmann, L.: 1964, Lectures on Gas Theory, University of California Press, Berkeley.
Boltzmann, L.: 1968, Wissenschaftliche Abhandlungen, Chelsea, New York.
Boltzmann, L.: 1974, Theoretical Physics and Philosophical Problems,D.Reidel, Dordrecht.
Boltzmann, L.: 1979, Populäre Schriften, Vieweg, Braunschweig.
Boltzmann, L.: 1981, Vorlesungen über Gastheorie, reprinted in R. U. Sexl (ed.), Ludwig Boltzmann Gesamtausgabe, Band 1, Akademische Druck-und Verlagsanstalt, Graz.
Boltzmann, L.: 1982, Vorlesungen über Maxwells Theorie der Elektricität und des Lichtes, 2 volumes, reprinted in R. U. Sexl (ed.), Ludwig Boltzmann Gesamtausgabe, Band 2, Akademische Druck-und Verlagsanstalt, Graz.
Broda, E.: 1973, 'Philosophical Biography of Ludwig Boltzmann', in E. G. D. Cohen and W. Thirring (eds.), The Boltzmann Equation, Springer-Verlag, Wien, 17-51.
Broda, E.: 1983, Ludwig Boltzmann: Man, Physicist, Philosopher, Ox Bow Press, Wood-bridge.
Cushing, J. T.: 1991, 'Quantum Theory and Explanatory Discourse: Endgame for Understanding? ', Philosophy of Science 58, 337-358.
D'Agostino, S.: 1990, 'Boltzmann and Hertz on the Bild-conception of Physical Theory', History of Science 28, 380-398.
De Regt, H. W.: 1996, 'Philosophy and the Kinetic Theory of Gases', British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 47, 31-62.
De Regt, H. W.: 1997, 'Erwin Schrödinger, Anschaulichkeit, and Quantum Theory', Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 28, 461-481.
Dieks, D. and H. W. de Regt: 1998, 'Reduction and Understanding', Foundations of Science 3, 45-59.
Fasol-Boltzmann, I. M. (ed.): 1990, Ludwig Boltzmann Principien der Naturfilosofi, Lectures on Natural Philosophy 1903-1906, Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Feynman, R. P., R. B. Leighton, and M. Sands: 1963-1965, The Feynman Lectures on Physics(three volumes), Addison-Wesley, Reading.
Friedman, M.: 1974, 'Explanation and Scientific Understanding', Journal of Philosophy 71, 5-19.
Heisenberg, W.: 1983, 'The Physical Content of Quantum Kinematics and Mechanics', in J. A. Wheeler and W. H. Zurek (eds.), Quantum Theory and Measurement, Princeton University Press, Princeton, pp. 62-84.
Hiebert, E. N.: 1981, 'Boltzmann's Conception of Theory Construction: The Promotion of Pluralism, Provisionalism, and Pragmatic Realism', in J. Hintikka, D. Gruender and E. Agazzi (eds.), Proceedings of the 1978 Pisa Conference on the History and Philosophy of Science, Vol. II, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, pp. 175-198.
James, W.: 1907, Pragmatism, Longmans, Green and Co., New York.
Miller, A. I.: 1986, 'On the Origins, Methods, and Legacy of Ludwig Boltzmann's Mechanics', in Imagery in Scientific Thought, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., pp. 73-96.
Peirce, C. S.: 1878, 'How to Make Our Ideas Clear', Popular Science Monthly 12, 286-302.
Wilson, A. D.: 1989, 'Hertz, Boltzmann and Wittgenstein Reconsidered', Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 20, 245-263.
Wilson, A. D.: 1993, 'Boltzmann's Philosophical Education and its Bearing on His Mature Scientific Epistemology', in G. Battimelli, M. G. Ianniello and O. Kresten (eds.), Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ludwig Boltzmann, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien, pp. 57-69.
Wittgenstein, Ludwig: 1953, Philosophical Investigations, Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
de Regt, H.W. Ludwig Boltzmann's Bildtheorie and Scientific Understanding. Synthese 119, 113–134 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005295304955
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005295304955