Miraculous Success? Inconsistency and Untruth in Kirchhoff's Diffraction Theory

Saatsi, J; Vickers, P

Abstract

Kirchhoff’s diffraction theory is introduced as a new case study in the realism debate. The theory is extremely successful despite being both inconsistent and not even approximately true. Some habitual realist proclamations simply cannot be maintained in the face of Kirchhoff’s theory, as the realist is forced to acknowledge that theoretical success can in some circumstances be explained in terms other than truth. The idiosyncrasy (or otherwise) of Kirchhoff’s case is considered.

Citation

Saatsi, J., & Vickers, P. (2011). Miraculous Success? Inconsistency and Untruth in Kirchhoff's Diffraction Theory. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 62(1), 29-46. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axq008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Aug 26, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 12, 2013
• Journal: The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
• Print ISSN: 0007-0882
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-3537
• Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 62
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 29-46
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axq008
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1528316