The French crisis: Rethinking the phenomenology of quantum mechanics.
Studies in history and philosophy of science – June 13, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Edmund Husserl's phenomenology offers a fresh perspective on quantum theory's foundations. His analysis of mathematization in physics reveals how abstract mathematical concepts shape our understanding of reality. The work shows how quantum mechanics bridges pure mathematics and lived experience, addressing concerns raised in "The Crisis of European Sciences" about the disconnect between scientific models and everyday reality. The philosophy of physics gains new insights through this phenomenological lens.
Abstract
In his book, A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics: Cutting the Chain of Correlations, Steven French argues that quantum mechanics, understood through the phenomenological lens of London and Bauer, turns physics into a "genuine science", and thus completes the project Edmund Husserl had started in his last major publication, The Crisis of European Sciences. What makes quantum mechanics a genuine science, according to French, is that it is fully grounded in the "lifeworld and transcendental subjectivity", just as Husserl dreamt. While we agree with French that London and Bauer's reading of quantum mechanics is inspired by and thus makes a step towards Husserl's phenomenology, we argue that a more encompassing phenomenological investigation is still needed if we are to avoid another crisis. More specifically, our claim is that French underestimates the "constitutional history" of the kinds of mathematical idealities that underlie quantum mechanics.