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Michel Bitbol (born 12 March 1954) is a French researcher inphilosophy of science.
He is "Directeur de recherche" atCNRS, previously in the Centre de Recherche en Épistémologie Appliquée (CREA) of École polytechnique (Paris, France).[1] He is now a member of Archives Husserl, École Normale Superieure (Paris, France).[2]
His research interests are mainly focused on the influence ofquantum physics onphilosophy. He first worked onErwin Schrödinger's metaphysics and philosophy of physics.[3]
Using theorems demonstrated byJean-Louis Destouches [fr],Paulette Destouches-Février, andR.I.G. Hughes, he pointed out that the structure of quantum mechanics may be derived to a large extent from the assumption that microscopic phenomena cannot be dissociated from their experimental context.[4] His views on quantum mechanics converge with ideas developed byJulian Schwinger[5] andAsher Peres,[6] according to whomquantum mechanics is a "symbolism of atomic measurements", rather than a description of atomic objects. He also defends ideas close toAnton Zeilinger's, by claiming that quantum laws do not express the nature of physical objects, but only the bounds of experimental information. More recently, he has written in support ofQBism, arguing that it parallels some ideas inphenomenology.[7][8]
Along with this view,quantum mechanics is no longer considered as a physical theory in the ordinary sense, but rather as a background framework for physical theories, since it goes back to the most elementary conditions which allow us to formulate any physical theory whatsoever. Some reviewers suggested half-seriously to call this view of physics "Kantum physics". Indeed, Michel Bitbol often refers to the philosophy ofI. Kant, according to whom one can understand the contents of knowledge only by analyzing the (sensorial, instrumental, and rational) conditions of possibility of such knowledge.[9]
He was granted an award by the French "Académie des sciences morales et politiques" in 1997, for his work in the philosophy of quantum mechanics.
Later on, he concentrated on the philosophy of mind and consciousness,[10] defending a strongly anti-reductionist[11] and neo-Wittgensteinian view.[12] He collaborated withFrancisco Varela on this subject.
He has written a systematic criticism of one of the original versions ofspeculative realism, formulated byQuentin Meillassoux. The title of his book published in 2019 ("Maintenant la finitude") is a direct reply to Meillassoux's "After Finitude".
He participated in the 2002/2013 conferences of theMind and Life Institute, whose aim is to promote a dialogue betweenscience andBuddhism.[13] He subsequently wrote a book developing a thoroughly relational reading of quantum mechanics, with due reference to the Buddhist concept of dependent arising.[14][15]
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