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1

Między mikroświatem a makroświatem

100%

Grygiel W.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2012

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issue 50

46-62

PL

The current 50th issue of Philosophical Problems in Science (Zagadnienia Filozoﬁczne w Nauce) summarizes the eﬀorts of both philosophers and scientists to understand how a broader philosophical context sets the stage for the development of scientiﬁc research, with physics playing a leading role. In particular, the paper reviews the content of the last twenty-ﬁve issues of the journal with an emphasis on the philosophical problems that arise in the practice of physics. The overview reveals that these problems reﬂect the main conceptual division in physics between the treatment of the micro-world described by quantum mechanics and the macro-world governed by the general theory of relativity. Both of these theories, taken separately, generate a host of philosophical concerns such as their proper interpretation (Bell’s Theorem and its consequences) or the meaning and the eventual validity of the notions of space and time. Other philosophical problems in physics, such as chaos and determinism, are also considered. The authors are well aware that the formulation of the future theory of quantum gravity will be a demanding task requiring profound philosophical reﬂection.

2

Druga rewolucja kwantowa: dziedzictwo Johna S. Bella

100%

Pabjan T.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2011

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issue 49

123-137

PL

The history of quantum mechanics is divided into two periods which are labeled as the ﬁrst and the second quantum revolutions. During the ﬁrst of these periods mathematical formalism of quantum theory was formulated and interpreted, during the second – new quantum technologies were developed. It turns out that conceptual revolution of the ﬁrst period enabled technological revolution of the second. In this article it is argued, that Irish physicist, John S. Bell, played an important role in the process of triggering the second quantum revolution. His work on quantum entanglement of the EPR particles made possible elaborating some new methods and theoretical approaches clarifying the quantum description of single objects. These methods and approaches became the core of new scientiﬁc domains which are hybrids of quantum mechanics and some classical sciences. The quantum cryptography and the quantum computation are examples of such domains and in the paper special attention is paid to them. It is showed that theoretical analyses of John S. Bell provide a conceptual background for these disciplines and this is why it’s not improper to call this physicist – as Alain Aspect did – a prophet of the second quantum revolution.

3

On Certain Analogies Between the Laws of Quantum Mechanics and Rules of an English Auction

100%

Drabik E.

Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia

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2012

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vol. 10

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issue 2

19-34

EN

It is a self-evident truth that nowadays a growing number of economic phenomena is described by means of physics methods. The most frequent theories derived from physics and applied to economy are: (1) the universal gravitation law and (2) the first as well as the second law of thermodynamics. The methods of static physics are applicable also to the theory of financial markets. In this case it is assumed that the financial market is composed of single participants interacting as a system of particles. Such approach is associated with a model of financial market otherwise known as a minority game. It is postulated that the process of securities and money allocation is performed on the basis of prices fluctuation, where - if a vast majority of investors tend to purchase goods or services - the sale constitutes a more profitable option, and vice versa. The players who end up on minority side win. At the end of the XX century the economy commenced to apply the laws of quantum mechanics. These laws proved to be useful, in particular when attempting to generalize game theory, which resulted in quantum games. The aim of the paper is to compare the rules and auction mechanisms with selected laws of quantum mechanics. This paper aims also to introduce the basic concepts of quantum mechanics to the process of economic phenomena modeling. Quantum mechanics is a theory describing a behaviour of microscopic objects and is grounded on the principle of wave-particle duality. It is assumed that quantum-scale objects at the same time exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. The key role in quantum mechanics is played by: (1) the Schrödinger equation describing the probability amplitude for the particle to be found at a given position and at a given time, as well as (2) the Heisenberg uncertainty principle stating that a certain pair of physical properties may not be simultaneously measured to arbitrarily high precision.

4

Czy wiemy dlaczego czasoprzestrzeń na dużych skalach jest gładka i 4-wymiarowa?

100%

Król J.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2017

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issue 63

101-111

PL

Even though the description of the universe in cosmology is known to be given by a smooth 4-dimensional Lorentz manifold for energies below Planck scale, one still can ask about the origins of this phenomenon. In this paper we show that mathematics used for description of quantum systems at micro scale determines smoothness of spacetime at large cosmological scales and indicates the dimension 4 as the only possible dimension for spacetime.

5

Krótka (pre)historia argumentu EPR

100%

Pabjan T.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2010

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issue 47

54-69

PL

The 1935 thought experiment of Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen is one of the most important episodes in the history of the dispute about the correct interpretation of quantum mechanics. The present paper deals with the origin of the EPR paper and discusses some other thought experiments that preceded the formulation of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen argument. Special attention is paid to the evolution of a simply photon-box experiment, which was devised by Einstein in 1930 and then modified by him several times before 1935. It is argued that the scheme of the original EPR argument is in fact contained in these few seminal experiments.

6

Classical and Quantum Physics in Selected Economic Models

100%

Drabik E.

Foundations of Management

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2011

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vol. 3

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issue 1

7-20

EN

A growing number of economic phenomena are nowadays described with methods known in physics. The most frequently applied physical theories by economists are: (1) the universal gravitation law and (2) the first and second law of thermodynamics. Physical principles can also be applied to the theory of financial markets. Financial markets are composed of individual participants who may be seen to interact as particles in a physical system. This approach proposes a financial market model known as a minority game model in which securities and money are allocated on the basis of price fluctuations, and where selling is best option when the vast majority of investors tend to purchase goods or services, and vice versa. The players who end up being on the minority side win.The above applications of physical methods in economics are deeply rooted in classical physics. However, this paper aims to introduce the basic concepts of quantum mechanics to the process of economic phenomena modelling. Quantum mechanics is a theory describing the behaviour of microscopic objects and is grounded on the principle of wave-particle duality. It is assumed that quantum-scale objects at the same time exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. The key role in quantum mechanics is played by: (1) the Schrödinger equation describing the probability amplitude for the particle to be found in a given position and at a given time, and as (2) the Heisenberg uncertainty principle stating that certain pairs of physical properties cannot be economic applications of the Schrödinger equation as well as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. We also try to describe the English auction by means the quantum mechanics methods.

7

The concepts of an atom and chemical bond in physics and chemistry: the role of approximations

89%

Koleżyński A.

Semina Scientiarum

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2011

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vol. 10

EN

It is well known from the history of science, that almost all crucial concepts are subject to change during the evolution of scientific theories. There is, however, another (often forgotten or omitted) aspect of this process, i.e. a role of some approximations, necessarily applied to any system of interest, in practically every single calculation carried out within quantum mechanical formalism, which can also result in change of the meaning of some of these concepts. In this paper, the two concepts of great importance in chemistry and physics, namely the concept of an atom, and the concept of a chemical bond are analyzed, both from the point of view of classical chemistry and quantum mechanics. The evolution of their meaning, due to the approximations, resulting in some important differences is highlighted.

8

Quantum Meta-physics: Nonlocality and Limits of Determinism

88%

Wesół B.

Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture

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2023

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vol. 7

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issue 4

14-25

EN

This essay aims to show that the recent development of quantum theory may provide us with an answer to one of the most compelling metaphysical problems, namely the problem of determinism. First, I sketch the conceptual background and draw the distinction between metaphysical and epistemological determinisms. Then, on the ground of the analysis of the problem of determinism in quantum mechanics, I argue that (1) metaphysical determinism is independent of quantum-mechanical formalism, and (2) that quantum nonlocality makes epistemological determinism impossible. I also try to show that metaphysical determinism should be regarded as a Kantian regulative idea which sets the horizon for scientific inquiry but which at the same time lacks what Kant calls “objective validity.” The main conclusion is that metaphysical determinism should be regarded as an idealization – a formal, cognitive principle that we a priori assume and not something that we discover through scientific inquiry.

9

Is Schrödinger's cat dead oa alive?

88%

Grygiel W.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2005

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issue 37

119-139

PL

The Schrödinger's Cat paradox was proposed in 1935 by Edwin Schrodinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, as an attempt to visualize the macroscopic realization of a quantum superposition state. A cat is placed in a sealed box together with a vial of poison. A two-state particle (e.g. an electron) is sent into a detector in the box resulting either in a broken or an intact vial and a dead or live cat, respectively. The main problem consists in whether the superposition state of a microscopic particle can be transferred upon the macroscopic cat, that is, whether the cat can exist in a superposition state, being simultaneously dead and alive. Since the standard Copenhagen interpretation is unable to assign any reality to the quantum superposition state, the paradox finds no resolution within the regime of this interpretation. Von Neumann's insistence on the uniform treatment of both microscopic (quantum) and macroscopic (classical) objects according to the laws of quantum mechanics provides a more consistent framework for the resolution of the paradox. In particular, the discovery of the phenomenon of decoherence, whereby the disappearance of the quantum interferences at the macro level is accounted for, suggests the onset of an extremely efficient interference relaxation process (10-23 s) upon the interaction of the two state particle with the detector. As a result, Schrodinger's cat can exist macroscopically either as dead or alive and never as a combination of both. Decoherence not only aids the resolution of the Schrodinger's Cat paradox but also sheds light upon the mechanisms by which the macro-world emerges from the microscopic quantum realm.

10

Dziwny świat kwantów

88%

Pączkowski J.

Studia Elbląskie

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2011

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vol. 12

309-328

EN

The article entitled “The strange world of quanta” tries to explain, in a very general and selective way, the physics theory known as the quantum mechanics. In opposition to the classical modern theories – the classical mechanics and the mechanism – the quantum mechanics has been characterized as the new revolutionary theory which changed the scientific method and the way the reality was perceived in the XXth century. The title of this article is inspired by the apparent divergence between the everyday world and the world described by the quantum mechanics. The quantum physics is a theory which has been confirmed empirically multiple times and which greatly influenced the technological development in the XXth century. It is also hoped that it will help the humanity in the future. However, as the theory which describes the micro-scale world it stands in opposition to another influential theory of the XXth century – the general theory of relativity – which describes the macro-scale world. The problem is that these two theories can not be both fundamental and true at the same time, as they describe the two aspects of the same world. This incoherence of the laws of the universe is especially disturbing when we take into account the fact that according to the Big Bang theory the universe emerged from the micro-world. Therefore, the science community awaits the emergence of the so-called “theory of everything” which could unify both theories and explain the processes taking place in the micro- and macro-scale equally well.

11

Question of Consciousness: to Quantum Mechanics for the Answers

88%

Karpenko I. A.

Studia Humana

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2014

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vol. 3

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issue 3

16-28

EN

The article presents the possible role of consciousness in quantum-mechanical description of physical reality. The widely spread interpretations of quantum phenomena are considered as indicating the apparent connection between conscious processes (such as observation) and the properties of the microcosm. The reasons for discrepancies between the results of observations of the microcosm and macrocosm and the potential association of consciousness with these reasons are closely investigated. The mentioned connection is meant to be interpreted in the sense that the probable requirement for a complete understanding of quantum theory is the adequate description of consciousness within it and that the correct theory of consciousness should include quantum-mechanical theoretical apparatus. In this context, the question about the methods of scientific cognition is discussed, in particular, the problem of the place and the importance of intellectual intuition in science and philosophy of science. The author draws the conclusions about the current state of the “measuring” consciousness. problem in its relationship with

12

Pułapka na ludzi myślących

88%

Borek M.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2021

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issue 70

243-249

EN

Andrzej Dragan’s book Quantechism or a cage for people is a great popular science book to start a fascinating adventure with the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. It is written in an easy language, does not require from the reader a deep knowledge of contemporary physical issues, while describing, illustrating and explaining them very well. Instead, it requires broader historical knowledge and at least basic philosophical knowledge for verification, helping to bring out what is most valuable in the book. Unfortunately, the book, while popularizing science, also makes a terrible mess and does a lot of damage to the deeper understanding of physics, its history, and the meaning and function of philosophy and religion. And so it can become an attractive and appealing, but nevertheless a trap-cage for thinking people.

13

Davida Bohma teoria zmiennych ukrytych

88%

Pabjan T.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2009

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issue 44

25-39

PL

One of the most important interpretative problems of quantum mechanics concerns the so called hidden variables. Sometimes it is said that the Bell's theorem falsifies theories of such variables, but in fact, it falsifies only local ones. This paper deals with David Bohm's interpretation of quantum mechanics, which is a kind of nonlocal hidden variable theory. This theory delivers a full deterministic and realistic description of quantum phenomena and predicts the same results as standard quantum mechanics. It is argued that this interpretation is still worth being investigated, because it remains in the full agreement with the mathematical formalism of this theory and it surpasses the standard interpretation as far as simplicity and lack of arbitrary assumptions are concerned.

14

Mecânica Quântica e Complementaridade:pela complementaridade filosófica

75%

Borges Meneses R. D.

Prosopon. Europejskie Studia Społeczno-Humanistyczne

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2016

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issue 3(16)

31-40

EN

To this novel type of statistical causality Bohr gave the name complementarity; the two mutually exclusive modes of description where said to be complementary, and they then conditioned each other in a statistical way. This relation of complementarity, expressing the limitations of the classical concepts, made it possible to give a complete and consistent account of the atomic phenomena in terms of such classical concepts of physics. According to N. Bohr, there is effort to achieving a more and more precise formulation of the complementarity idea, and to developing its wider ontological or gnoseological implications as soon as possible the phenomenological applications to others sciences, on this article, by the Quantum Mechanics.

15

Dwie tradycje naukowego poznawania świata. Studium przypadku powstania i recepcji mechaniki kwantowej w latach 1925–1927, na podstawie dyskusji Wernera Heisenberga i Alberta Einsteina

75%

Krajniak W.

Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki

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2014

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vol. 59

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issue 3

7–36

EN

The purpose of this article is the analyses of discussion between Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg in the period 1925-1927. Their disputes, relating to the sources of scientific knowledge, its methods and the value of knowledge acquired in this way, are part of the characteristic for the European science discourse between rationalism and empirism. On the basis of some sources and literature on the subject, the epistemological positions of both scholars in the period were reconstructed. This episode, yet poorly known, is a unique example of scientific disputes, whose range covers a broad spectrum of methodological problems associated with the historical development of science. The conducted analysis sheds some light on the source of popularity of logical empirism in the first half of the 20th century. A particular emphasis is placed on the impact of the neopositivist ideas which reflect Heisenberg's research program, being the starting point for the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. The main assumption of logical empirism, concerning acquisition of scientific knowledge only by means of empirical procedures and logical analysis of the language of science, in view of the voiced by Einstein arguments, bears little relationship with actual testing practices in the historical aspect of the development of science. The criticism of Heisenberg's program, carried out by Einstein, provided arguments for the main critics of the neopositivist ideal and contributed to the bankruptcy of the idea of logical empirism, thereby starting a period of critical rationalism prosperity, arising from criticism of neopositivism and alluding to Einstein's ideas.

16

Mechanika kwantowa a problem obiektywności

75%

Łukasik A.

Zagadnienia Naukoznawstwa

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2015

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vol. 51

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issue 2(204)

137-146

PL

W artykule argumentuję, że odróżnienie epistemologicznego i ontologicznego pojęcia obiektywności, oraz radykalnej obiektywności ontologicznej od obiektywności ontologicznej zrelatywizowanej do przyrządu pomiarowego pozwala na adekwatną analizę sytuacji poznawczej w mechanice kwantowej i przeciwstawienie się subiektywistycznym interpretacjom mechaniki kwantowej.

EN

In the article I argue that distinction between the epistemological notion and objectivity from ontological notion of objectivity, as well as radical ontological objectivity and ontological objectivity relative to the measuring instrument allows us for an adequate analysis of the cognitive situation in quantum mechanics and undermines the subjectivist interpretations of it.

17

Nieprzemienne rachunki prawdopodobieństwa

75%

Heller M.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

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2010

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issue 47

38-53

PL

The paper can be regarded as a short and informal introduction to noncommutative calculi of probability. The standard theory of probability is reformulated in the algebraic language. In this form it is readily generalized to that its version which is virtually present in quantum mechanics, and then generalized to the so-called free theory of probability. Noncommutative theory of probability is a pair (M, φ) where M is a von Neumann algebra, and φ a normal state on M which plays the role of a noncommutative probability measure. In the standard (commutative) theory of probability, there is, in principle, one mathematically interesting probability measure, namely the Lebesgue measure, whereas in the noncommutative theories there are many nonequivalent probability measures. Philosophical implications of this fact are briefly discussed.

18

Does the quantum mechanical wave function exist?

71%

Kiefer C.

Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce

|

2019

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issue 66

111-128

EN

I address the question whether the wave function in quantum theory exists as a real (ontic) quantity or not. For this purpose, I discuss the essentials of the quantum formalism and emphasize the central role of the superposition principle. I then explain the measurement problem and discuss the process of decoherence. Finally, I address the special features that the quantization of gravity brings into the game. From all of this I conclude that the wave function really exists, that is, it is a real (ontic) feature of Nature.

19

Aria Heisenberga (I). O negatywnych skutkach akcentowania zasady nieoznaczoności w wykładzie teorii atomu

71%

Szymański A.

Semina Scientiarum

|

2014

|

vol. 13

EN

According to the author, a perfect example of the theory, which is considered to be removed from the historical context, is the uncertainty principle. For various reasons, this principle became the most famous element of atomic theory, and it usually serves as kick-off for popular lectures in quantum mechanics. This order of presentation can, however, distort an accurate picture of the uncertainty principle and quantum mechanics in general. In this article we try to identify specifically the misunderstandings initiating a course of quantum mechanics contrary to the chronology from the uncertainty principle can lead.

20

Kwantowe modele poznania i decyzji

63%

Łukasik A.

Studia Philosophiae Christianae

|

2016

|

vol. 52

|

issue 4

107-130

EN

Quantum mechanics introduces a new set of revolutionary principles, such as wave-particle duality, superposition, uncertainty, complementarity, entanglement, as well as a fundamentally new approach to probability. Quantum mechanics was created to explain some paradoxical discoveries that were impossible to understand using classical physics. Nowadays we have a similar problem in cognition and decision making – there are many paradoxical findings that seem irrational according to classical probability theory. For example, under some conditions, people judge the probability of event A and B to be greater that the probability of A, which is called the conjunction fallacy; or they judge the probability of A or B to be less than the probability of A, which is called the disjunction fallacy. The aim of this article is to describe the Quantum Cognition research program, which applies the abstract, mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics to cognition and decision making. Quantum probability theory, initially invented to explain some effects on measurements in physics, appears to be a powerful tool to explain some findings in the cognitive sciences.

PL

Mechanika kwantowa wprowadziła nowy zestaw rewolucyjnych idei, takich jak dualizm korpuskularno-falowy, superpozycja stanów, nieoznaczoność, komplementarność, splątanie i całkowicie nowe podejście do prawdopodobieństwa. Mechanika kwantowa została stworzona w celu wyjaśnienia paradoksalnych odkryć, całkowicie niemożliwych do wyjaśnienia w ramach fizyki klasycznej. Współcześnie podobną sytuację możemy znaleźć w naukach o poznaniu i teoriach decyzji – wiele odkryć wydaje się paradoksalnych z punktu widzenia klasycznej teorii prawdopodobieństwa. Na przykład w pewnych warunkach ludzie szacują prawdopodobieństwo koniunkcji zdarzeń A i B jako większe niż prawdopodobieństwo z członów koniunkcji, co jest nazywane błędem koniunkcji, w innych okolicznościach oceniają prawdopodobieństwo sumy zdarzeń A lub B jako mniejsze niż prawdopodobieństwo jednego ze zdarzeń, co jest nazywane błędem dysjunkcji. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest omówienie podstawowych idei programu badawczego Quantum Cognition, który jest zastosowaniem abstrakcyjnego formalizmu mechaniki kwantowej do modelowania czynności poznawczych i procesów decyzyjnych. Kwantowa teoria prawdopodobieństwa, pierwotnie stworzona w celu opisania pomiaru w mechanice kwantowej, wydaje się skutecznym narzędziem w modelowaniu czynności poznawczych i procesów decyzyjnych.

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Między mikroświatem a makroświatem

Druga rewolucja kwantowa: dziedzictwo Johna S. Bella

On Certain Analogies Between the Laws of Quantum Mechanics and Rules of an English Auction

Czy wiemy dlaczego czasoprzestrzeń na dużych skalach jest gładka i 4-wymiarowa?

Krótka (pre)historia argumentu EPR

Classical and Quantum Physics in Selected Economic Models

The concepts of an atom and chemical bond in physics and chemistry: the role of approximations

Quantum Meta-physics: Nonlocality and Limits of Determinism

Is Schrödinger's cat dead oa alive?

Dziwny świat kwantów

Question of Consciousness: to Quantum Mechanics for the Answers

Pułapka na ludzi myślących

Davida Bohma teoria zmiennych ukrytych

Mecânica Quântica e Complementaridade:pela complementaridade filosófica

Dwie tradycje naukowego poznawania świata. Studium przypadku powstania i recepcji mechaniki kwantowej w latach 1925–1927, na podstawie dyskusji Wernera Heisenberga i Alberta Einsteina

Mechanika kwantowa a problem obiektywności

Nieprzemienne rachunki prawdopodobieństwa

Does the quantum mechanical wave function exist?

Aria Heisenberga (I). O negatywnych skutkach akcentowania zasady nieoznaczoności w wykładzie teorii atomu

Kwantowe modele poznania i decyzji