Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Elective Affinities: Weyl and Reichenbach

  • Chapter
Hans Reichenbach: Logical Empiricist

Part of the book series: Synthese Library ((SYLI,volume 132))

Abstract

Ortega once defined a classic as someone who, like the Cid, can wage war and defeat us, even when he is dead. In disciplines such as ours, where change of topic threatens to become the Ersatz of progress, sheer selfinterest should inspire us periodically to invoke the ghosts of our classics, and challenge them to battle. Having suffered the halberd once too often, however, my more prudent goal will be to summon two of our classic heroes to quarrel with each other.

I should like to express my gratitude to Adolf Grünbaum, who awakened my interest in this subject and helped me understand some of Weyls’s most obscure pronouncements, variant’ approach. Whether they like it or not, they are largely responsible for the stand point from which this paper is written. My thanks also to Linda Wessels and her two support; and to Mrs M. B. Weyl for permission to quote from Weyl’s letters.

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Bibliography

  • Cartan, Elie, 1923, ‘Sur un thèoréme fondamental de M. H. Weyl dans la thèorie de lespace métrique,’ Journal des Mathématiques Pures et Appliques 9, 167–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartan, Elie, 1924, ‘Les recents generalisations de la notion d’espace,’ Bulletin des Sciences Mathematiques 48, 294–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Einstein, Albert, 1918a, ‘Prinzipielles zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie,’ Annalen der Physik 55, 241–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einstein, Albert, 1918b, Review of Weyl (1918), Die Naturwissenschaften 25, p. 373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einstein, Albert, 1918c, ‘Dialog ttber Einwande gegen die Relativitätstheorie,’ Die Naturwissenschaften 48, 697–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Einstein, Albert, 1928, Review of (Reichenbach, 1928), Deutsche Literaturzeitung 1, columns 19–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Feudenthal, Hans, 1960, ‘Zu den Weyl-Cartanschen Raumproblem,’ Archiv der Mathematik 11, 107–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freudenthal, Hans, 1965, ‘Lie Groups in the Foundations of Geometry,’ Advances in Mathematics 1, 145–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grünbaum, Adolf, 1973, Philosophical Problems of Space and Time, 2nd edition, Reidel, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenard, P., 1918, Ueber Relativitatsprinzip, Aether, Gravitation, Leipzig.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugwitz, Detlef, 1958, ‘Ueber eine Vermutung von Hermann Weyl zum Raumproblem,’ Archiv der Mathematik 9 128–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laugwitz, Detlef, 1965, Differential and Riemannian Geometry, Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi-Civita, Tulio, 1917, ‘Nozione di Paralelismo in una Varieta Cualunque e Conseguente Specificazione Geometrica della Curvatura Riemanniana,’ Rendiconti del Circolo de Palermo 42, 173–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortega y Gasset, José, 1965, Obras Completas, Revista de Occidente, Madrid.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, Bertrand, 1928, Analysis of Matter, Dover, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1920, Relativitätstheorie und Erkenntnis A Piori, Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1921, ‘Der gegenwartige Stand der Relativitatsdiskussion,’ Logos, 10, 316–378; translated (with discussion of Weyl2019s work omitted) in (Reichenbach, 1959).

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1924, Axiomatik der relativistischen Raum-Zeit-Lehre, Vieweg, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1925, ‘Ueber die physikalischen konsequenzen der relativistischen Axiomatik,’ Zeitschrift fur Physik, 34, 34–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1928, Philosophie der Raum-Zeit-Lehre, Vieweg, Berlin.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1958, The Philosophy of Space and Time, Dover, N.Y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1959, Modern Philosophy of Science, Routledge, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichenbach, Hans, 1965, The Theory of Relativity and A Priori Knowledge, University of California Press, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salmon, Wesley, 1977, ‘The Curvature of Physical Space,’ in Earman, Glymour and Stachel (eds.), Foundations of Space-Time Theories, University of Minnesota Press, Minnesota, pp. 281–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheibe, E. 1957, ‘Ueber das Weylsche Raumproblem,’ Journal fur Mathematik, 197, 162–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seelig, Carl, 1952, Albert Einstein und die Schweiz, Europa Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1918a, Raum-Zeit-Materie, 1st edition, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1918b, ‘Reine Infinitesimalgeometrie,’ Mathematische Zeitschrift, 2, 384–411; also in Weyl, (1968), vol. II. pp. 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1921c, ‘Electricity and Gravitation,’ Nature, 106, 800–802; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 260–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1919, ‘Eine Neue Erweiterung der Relativitätstheorie,’ Annalen der Physik 59, 101–133; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 55–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1920a, ‘Die Einsteinsche Relativitätstheorie,’ Schweizerland, 1920; also in Weyl, (1968), vol. II, pp. 123–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1920b, ‘Elektrizitat und Gravitation,’ Physikalische Zeitschrift, 21, pp. 649–650; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 141–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1921a, Raum-Zeit-Materie, 4th edition, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1921b, ‘Feld und Materie,’ Annalen der Physik, 65, 541–563; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 237–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyi, Hermann, 1921c, ‘Electricity and Gravitation,’ Nature, 106, 800–802; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 260–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1922a, Space-Time-Matter, Dover, New York (translation of Weyl (1921a).

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1922b, ‘Die Einzigartigkeit der Pythagoreischen Massbestimmung,’ Mathematische Zeitschrift 12, 114–146; also in Weyl (1968) vol. II, pp. 263–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1923a, Raum-Zeit-Materie, 5th edition, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1923b, Commentary to Riemann’s Inaugural Dissertation, in H. Weyl, Das Kontinuum und Andere Monographien, Chelsea Publishing Company, New York(no date).

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1923c, Mathematische Analyse des Raumproblems, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1924a, Review of (Reichenbach, 1924), Deutsche Literaturzeitung, no. 30, columns 2122–2128

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1924b, ‘Massentragheit und Kosmos. Ein Dialog,’ Die Naturwissenschaften 12, 197–204; also in Weyl (1968), vol. II, pp. 478–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1927, Philosophie der Mathematik und Naturwissenschaft, Oldenbourgh Munchen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1928, ‘Diskussionsbemerkungen zu dem zweiten Hilbertschen Vortrag über die Grundlagen der Mathematik,’ Abhandlungen aus dem mathematischen Seminar der Hamburgischen Universität 6, 86–88; also in Weyl (1968), vol. Ill, pp. 147–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1929a, ‘Consistency in Mathematics,’ The Rice Institute Pamphlet 16, 245–265; also in Weyl (1968), vol. Ill, pp. 150–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1929b, ‘Gravitation and the Electron,’ The Rice Institute Pamphlet 16 280–295; also in Weyl (1968), vol III, pp. 229–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1929c, ‘Elektron und Gravitation,’ Zeitschrift f tir Physik 56, 330–352; in Weyl (1968), vol. III, pp. 245–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1931, ‘Geometrie und Physik,’ Die Naturwissenschaften 19 49–58 also in Weyl (1968), Vol. III, pp. 336–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1932, The Open World, Yale University Press, New Haven.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1934, Mind and Nature, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1946, ‘Review: The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell,’ The American Mathematical Monthly 53, 8–14; also in Weyl (1968), vol. IV, pp. 599–605.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1949a, Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science, Princeton University

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1949b, ‘Wissenschaft als Symbolische Konstruktion des Menschen,’Eranos-Jahrbuch, 1948, pp. 375–431; also in Weyl (1968), vol. IV, pp. 289–345.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1950, ‘50 Jahre Relativitätstheorie,’ Die Naturwissenschaften 38, 73–83; also in Weyl (1968), vol. IV, pp. 421–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1953, ‘Ueber den Symbolismus der Mathematik und mathematischen Physik,’ Studium Generale, 6, pp 219–228; also in Weyl (1968), vol. IV, pp. 527–536.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1954, ‘Erkenntnis und Besinnung, (Ein Lebensrükblick),’ Studia Philosophica, Jahrbuch der Schweizerischen Philosophischen Gesellschaft-Annuaire de la Société Suisse de Philosophie; also in (Weyl, 1968 ), vol. IV, pp. 631–649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyl, Hermann, 1968, Gesammelte Abhandlungen, 4 volumes, Springer, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winnie, John, 1977, ‘The Causal Theory of Space-Time,’ in Earman, Glymour and Stachel (eds.), Foundations of Space-Time Theories, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, USA

    J. Alberto Coffa

Authors
  1. J. Alberto Coffa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Arizona, USA

    Wesley C. Salmon

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1977 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Coffa, J.A. (1977). Elective Affinities: Weyl and Reichenbach. In: Salmon, W.C. (eds) Hans Reichenbach: Logical Empiricist. Synthese Library, vol 132. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9404-1_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9404-1_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-9406-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-9404-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation