Skip to main content

Decoherence, determinism and chaos revisited

  • Part II Determinism and Chaos
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Law and Prediction in the Light of Chaos Research

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics ((LNP,volume 473))

  • 158 Accesses

Abstract

We suggest that the derivation of the free space Maxwell Equations for classical electromagnetism, using a discrete ordered calculus developed by L.H. Kauffman and T. Etter, necessarily pushes the discussion of determinism in natural science down to the level of relativistic quantum mechanics and hence renders the mathematical phenomena studied in deterministic chaos research irrelevant to the question of whether the world investigated by physics is deterministic. We believe that this argument reinforces Suppes' contention that the issue of determinism versus indeterminism should be viewed as a Kantian antinomy incapable of investigation using currently available scientific tools.

Work supported by the Department of Energy, contract DE-AC03-76SF00515

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Amson, J. (1979): Appendix in T. Bastin, H.P. Noyes, C, W. Kilmister and J. Amson. Int. J. Theor. Phys. 18, 455

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Bastin, T. (1966): On the Scale Constants of Physics. Studia Philosophica Gandensia 4(77)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohr, N., Rosenfeld, L. (1933): Det. Kgl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. Mat.-fys. Med. XII(8)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bridgman, P. W. (1928): The Logic of Modern Physics (MacMillan, New York)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyson, F. J. (1989): Physics Today, No. 2, 32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dyson, F.J. (1990): Amer J. Phys. 58, 209

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Etter, T., Kauffman, L.H. (in preparation): Discrete Ordered Calculus

    Google Scholar 

  • Feynman, R. P., Wheeler, J. A. (1945): Rev. Mod. Phys. 17, 157

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kauffman, L. H., Noyes, H. P. (in press): Discrete Physics and the Derivation of Electromagnetism from the Formalism of Quantum Mechanics, Proceedings of the Royal Society A

    Google Scholar 

  • McGoveran, D. O., Noyes, H. P. (1989): Foundations for a Discrete Physics. SLAC-PUB-4526

    Google Scholar 

  • McGoveran, D. O., Noyes, H. P. (1991): Physics Essays 4, 115

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1994a): Decoherence, Determinism and Chaos. In Alternatives: Proc. of ANPA 15, C.W. Kilmister, ed.; published by ANPA, c/o Prof. C.W. Kilmister, Ted Tiles Cottage, High Street, Barcombe, Lewes BNH 5D8, UK, 89–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1994b): STAPP's QUANTUM DUALISM: The James/Heisenberg Model of Consciousness. In Mind-Body Problem and the Quantum; Proc. ANPA WEST 10, F. Young, ed.; published by ANPA WEST, 112 Blackburn Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, 1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1980): An Operational Analysis of the Double Slit Experiment. In Studies in the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, P. Suppes, ed., manufactured by Edward Brothers for the Philosophy of Science Association, East Lansing, Michigan, 77–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1991): On Feynman's Proof of the Maxwell Equations. Presented at the XXX Internationale Universitätswochen für Kernphysik, Schladming, Austria, and SLAC-PUB-5411

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1994c): BIT-STRING PHYSICS: A Novel ‘Theory of Everything'. In Proc. Workshop on Physics and Computation Dallas TX, Nov. 17–20, 1994, D. Matzke, ed., IEEE Comp. Soc. Press, Los Amitos, CA, 88–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (in press): OPERATIONALISM REVISITED: Measurement accuracy, Scale Invariance, and the Combinatorial Hierarchy. Physics Philosophy Interface

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (1994d): On the Measurability of Electromagnetic Fields: A New Approach. In A Gift of Prophecy, E. G. Sudarshan, ed., World Scientific, incomplete; for the unmutilated text, see SLAC-PUB-6445

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P. (in preparation): DISCRETE PHYSICS: A New Fundamental Theory, J.C. van den Berg, ed.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noyes, H. P., McGoveran, D. O. (1989): Physics Essays 2, 76

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Peskin, M. (1994): private communication, Nov. 4

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweber, S. S. (1986): Rev. Mod. Phys. 58, 449

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Schweber, S. S. (1994): QED and the men who made it (Princeton)

    Google Scholar 

  • Suppes, P. (1993): The Transcendental Character of Determinism. Midwest Studies in Philosophy XVIII, 242–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tanimura, S. (1992): Annals of Physics 220, 229

    Article  ADS  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Paul Weingartner Gerhard Schurz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1996 Springer-Verlag

About this paper

Cite this paper

Noyes, H.P. (1996). Decoherence, determinism and chaos revisited. In: Weingartner, P., Schurz, G. (eds) Law and Prediction in the Light of Chaos Research. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 473. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0101876

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0101876

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61584-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-70693-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics