Collaborative research project "The Epistemology of the large hadron collider (LHC)"

Interdisciplinary project of Physics/History/Philosophy: Robert Harlander (Physics, Aachen), Peter Mättig (Physics, Bonn), Gregor Schiemann (Philosophy, Wuppertal), Erhard Scholz (History of Mathematics, Wuppertal), Friedrich Steinle (History of Science and Technology, Berlin), Michael Stöltzner (Philosophy of Science, South Carolina, USA), Christian Zeitnitz (Physics, Wuppertal).

The collaborative research project builds on today's physicists' expectations of a fundamental change in the theoretical foundations of physics. It asks about the deeper reasons behind these expectations and links them to the complex conditions of physical research, in order to inquire whether these expectations are substantiated. It regards the complexity of these conditions as a challenge for the quest towards ever more encompassing and simpler descriptions of nature. The project studies these new epistemic conditions, using as its principal case study the LHC at CERN.

Further links and project sites

History of science and technology (German)

Philosophy of Science (German)

Working group didactics and history of mathematics (German)

Institut für Grundlagenforschung zur Philosophiegeschichte

Research Unit "The Epistemology of the Large Hadron Collider"

Research Training Group "Transformations of Science and Technology Since 1800"