EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
TOPICAL COLLECTION

TITLE:
Indeterminacy and Reality: Revisiting Heisenberg’s Philosophical Legacy

GUEST EDITORS:
Pietro Gori (IFILNOVA, NOVA University Lisbon) and Davide Romano (University of Verona)

SUBMISSIONS PERIOD:
1 January 2027 until 30 June 2027 (23:59 UTC).

SYNOPSIS

On the occasion of the centenary (2027) of Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty relations, this Topical Collection invites contributions exploring the development of Heisenberg’s ideas from his early work on quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle to his later philosophical writings, engaging with the enduring significance not only of his scientific work, but also – and in particular – of his contribution to the philosophical debate.

This Topical Collection thus aims to make progress on Heisenberg’s philosophy, in particular by drawing a more historically accurate picture of Heisenberg’s thought on epistemology, language and scientific representation and by studying possible relations between Heisenberg’s thought and twentieth-century philosophy. Contributions devoted to questions concerning the development and philosophical significance of Heisenberg’s thought are therefore welcome.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• The evolution of Heisenberg’s epistemology, from his early work on quantum mechanics to his later reflections in Reality and Its Order, with particular attention to the epistemological and ontological implications of quantum mechanics and the significance of the notion of indeterminacy for the limits of classical concepts;
• Heisenberg’s account of language and reality, focusing on the role of classical concepts, ordinary language, scientific models, and representation in the philosophy of physics, particularly in the interpretation of quantum theory;
• Heisenberg’s distinctive position within views commonly associated with the Copenhagen interpretation, highlighting both his convergences with and divergences from Niels Bohr;
• Heisenberg’s engagement with Kantian and neo-Kantian philosophy, including his exchanges with Grete Hermann and his relation to the work of Ernst Cassirer;
• How to situate Heisenberg’s philosophical ideas within philosophical currents that shaped the intellectual context of his reflections (e.g. ancient Greek philosophy, notably Aristotle; logical empiricism; phenomenology);
• The relevance of Heisenberg’s ideas (e.g. on potentiality, observation, and the status of the quantum state) for contemporary debates in the philosophy and foundations of quantum mechanics.

INVITED CONTRIBUTORS

Kristian Camilleri (University of Melbourne)
Alex Blum (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science )
Elise Crull (City College of New York)
Massimiliano Badino (University of Verona)
Emma Jaura (University of Oxford)
Noah Stemeroff (University of Bristol)

AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS

Papers should be submitted through the EJPS Editorial Manager under the dedicated heading. Please select this heading when submitting the manuscript. Submission through the online Editorial Manager will be possible only from 1 January 2027.

Submitted papers will be peer-reviewed according to the standards of EJPS. They may undergo up to two rounds of revision to ensure a reasonably quick refereeing process.

Early submissions are encouraged, as papers will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the review process starting immediately upon submission rather than after the submission deadline. Once accepted, papers will be published online ahead of print.

Papers submitted to the Topical Collection should not exceed 8000 words, including notes but excluding references.

For any additional questions about this Topical Collection, please contact the guest editors:
Pietro Gori pgori@fcsh.unl.pt
Davide Romano davide.romano@univr.it