Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major texts in philosophy

198 Pages·2014·2.334 MB·English

by  Michael Drieschner (ed.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS ON PIONEERS IN SCIENCE
AND PRACTICE  TEXTS AND PROTOCOLS 23
Michael Drieschner Editor
Carl Friedrich
von Weizsäcker:
Major Texts in
Philosophy
Knowledge and
Responsibility
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Society & Foundation
SpringerBriefs on Pioneers in Science
and Practice
Texts and Protocols
Volume 23
Series editor
Hans Günter Brauch, Mosbach, Germany
For furthervolumes:
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Michael Drieschner
Editor
Carl Friedrich von
Weizsäcker: Major Texts
in Philosophy
123 Knowledge and
Responsibility
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Society & Foundation
Editor
Michael Drieschner
Munich
Germany
ISSN 2194-3125 ISSN 2194-3133 (electronic)
ISBN 978-3-319-03670-0 ISBN 978-3-319-03671-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03671-7
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Title photograph: Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1968). (cid:2) Stifterverband für die Deutsche
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Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker in Leipzig (1936). (cid:2) The Weizsäcker Family represented by
Dr.ElisabethRaiserwhograntedpermissiontousethisphoto
Other Books on Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
Published in this Book Series by Springer
• Ulrich Bartosch (Ed.): Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Pioneer of Physics,
Philosophy,Religion,PoliticsandPeaceResearch.SpringerBriefsonPioneers
in Science and Practice No. 21. (Cham–Heidelberg–Dordrecht–London–New
York: Springer-Verlag, 2015).
• Michael Drieschner (Ed.): Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major Texts in
Physics. Springer Briefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice No. 22. Subseries
TextsandProtocolsNo. 10(Cham–Heidelberg–Dordrecht–London–NewYork:
Springer-Verlag, 2014).
• Konrad Raiser (Ed.): Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major Texts in Religion.
SpringerBriefsonPioneersinScienceandPracticeNo.24.SubseriesTextsand
Protocols No. 12 (Cham–Heidelberg–Dordrecht–London–New York: Springer-
Verlag, 2014).
• Ulrich Bartosch (Ed.): Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major Texts on Politics
andPeaceResearch.SpringerBriefsonPioneersinScienceandPracticeNo.25.
Subseries Texts and Protocols No. 13 (Cham–Heidelberg–Dordrecht–London–
NewYork:Springer-Verlag,2015).
• See also the website on these five books with texts by Carl Friedrich von
Weizsäcker, at: \http://afes-press-books.de/html/SpringerBriefs_PSP_C.F.v._
Weizsaecker.htm[.
vii
CarlFriedrichvonWeizsäcker(1940).(cid:2)TheWeizsäckerFamilyrepresentedbyDr.Elisabeth
Raiserwhograntedpermissiontousethisphoto
Acknowledgments and Sources
TheeditorsexpressappreciationtotheCarlFriedrichvonWeizsäckerFoundation
andtoDr.BrunoRedekerforthepermissiontousethetextsandtranslationsfrom
thevolumesTheAmbivalenceofProgress(NewYork:ParagonHouse,1988)and
The Unity of Nature (New York: Farrar-Strauss-Giroux - Macmillan, 1980). Both
publishers do not list these books any more in their programme nor do they list
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker as an author. They were informed by Dr. Redeker
as the representative of the bequest of Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker that the
copyrights for all publications of Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker were transferred
tothe CarlFriedrichvonWeizsäcker Foundation.Neither publisherreplied tothe
question whether they plan new editions of the books. Therefore, the rights were
retransferred to the Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker Foundation, which granted
permission to reprint all texts.
The financial support of the Udo Keller Foundation is also gratefully
acknowledged. The editor further thanks Mr. Mike Headon for language editing
and Mr. Thomas Bast for IT support, as well as all colleagues of Springer pub-
lishersinHeidelbergandChennaifortheireffortstoproduceagoodbook.Special
thanksgotoMs.AnnHentschelforthenewtranslationsand,lastbutnotleast,to
Adj.Prof.HansGünterBrauch,theeditoroftheseries,forhisinestimableconstant
support.
The texts of Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker in this volume were initially
published in:
1. ‘‘Preliminary Epistemological Considerations’’, in: Zeit und Wissen (Munich:
Hanser, 1992); Part I, Second Chapter; new translation.
2. ‘‘ADescriptionofPhysics’’:in:TheUnityofNature(NewYork:FarrarStraus
Giroux,1980);translationof:DieEinheitderNatur(Munich:Hanser,1971):I,6.
3. ‘‘Time–Physics–Metaphysics’’,in:DerMenschinseinerGeschichte(Munich:
Hanser, 1991), new translation.
4. ‘‘Biological Preliminaries to Logic’’, in: The Ambivalence of Progress (New
York: Paragon House, 1988); translation of: Der Garten des Menschlichen
(Munich: Hanser, 1977): II, 6.
5. ‘‘Models of Health and Illness, Good and Evil, Truth and Falseness’’, in: The
Unity of Nature (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1980); translation of: Die
Einheit der Natur, (Munich: Hanser, 1971): III, 4.
ix
x AcknowledgmentsandSources
6. ‘‘Parmenides and the Greylag Goose’’, in: The Unity of Nature (New York:
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1980); translation of: Die Einheit der Natur (Munich:
Hanser, 1971): IV, 5.
7. ‘‘Parmenides and Quantum Theory’’, in: The Unity of Nature (New York:
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1980); translation of: Die Einheit der Natur (Munich:
Hanser, 1971): IV, 6.
8. ‘‘PossibilityandMovement:ANoteonAristotelianPhysics’’,in:TheUnityof
Nature(NewYork:FarrarStrausGiroux,1980);translationof:DieEinheitder
Natur (Munich:Hanser, 1971): IV, 4.
9. ‘‘TheRationalityofEmotions’’,in:TheAmbivalenceofProgress(NewYork:
ParagonHouse,1988);translationof:DerGartendesMenschlichen(Munich:
Hanser, 1977): II, 4.
10. ‘‘On Power’’, in: The Ambivalence of Progress (New York: Paragon House,
1988),translationof:DerGartendesMenschlichen(Munich:Hanser,1977):II,5.
Contents
1 Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker: Major Texts
in Philosophy—A Brief Introduction by the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . 1
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 Preliminary Epistemological Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 Similes for the Structure of Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Cognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.3 Doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.4 Faith. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.5 Methodological Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3 A Description of Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.1 The Role of Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.2 An Anecdote as an Eye Catcher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.3 A Historical Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.4 Philosophy of Physics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.4.1 Theological Platonism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.4.2 The World as Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
3.4.3 Empiricism as a Description of Physics. . . . . . . . . . . 36
3.4.4 Difficulties of Fundamental Empiricism . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.4.5 Scientific Perception. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4 Time: Physics—Metaphysics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.1 Metaphysics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.2 Physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.3 Evolution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.4 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
xi