Initiative for Philosophy and Foundations of Physics and Chemistry
The PFPC Initiative
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What is the PFPC Initiative?
The “Initiative for the Foundations and Philosophy of Physics and Chemistry” is an interdisciplinary academic project led by Dr. Sebastian Fortin, dedicated to investigating and discussing the most basic, conceptual, and philosophical aspects of physics and chemistry. It is not an isolated event; rather, it represents an organized and sustained effort, with stable research lines, medium-term objectives, and a collective dynamic that integrates specialized research, critical debate, and human resource training. Its focus lies on fundamental questions regarding the nature of reality as described by our theories, how knowledge is constructed and justified in central sciences, and the scope (and limits) of scientific explanations. The initiative functions as a transversal workspace that brings together diverse profiles. Participants include philosophers of science specializing in foundations; theoretical physicists experienced in quantum mechanics and issues of irreversibility; chemists interested in the philosophical status of concepts specific to their discipline; and specialists in mathematics and logic oriented toward the formalization of concepts. In addition, early-career researchers (doctoral students and fellows) are integrated, whose theses fall within the general axes of the group, ensuring continuity and renewal. The work is further enriched through exchanges with international specialists and short stays at foreign institutions, allowing approaches to be contrasted and hypotheses to undergo critical evaluation.
Substantively, the initiative organizes its agenda around two interrelated research cores. The first focuses on the interpretation of quantum mechanics and its ontology, addressing classical challenges such as contextuality, non-locality, measurement, indistinguishability, irreversibility, and the status of time. Within this framework, a property-centered ontology (as opposed to one centered on substantial individuals) is developed, and formal tools—such as modal logics and mereologies—are explored to describe the relationship between “wholes” and “parts” in quantum systems. These tools are applied to case studies where ontological problems appear with particular intensity, including complex systems and irreversible phenomena. The second core examines intertheoretical relations between physics and chemistry, taking quantum theory as a point of contact. Rather than assuming the reductionist thesis—that chemistry can be entirely derived from physics—the group investigates what it means to reduce one theory to another and what occurs when passing from the general quantum formalism to the effective models and approximations that dominate quantum chemistry. In this context, issues such as the deduction of molecular structure, the ontological status of chemical entities (e.g., orbitals, bonds, or electron density), and the role of formal results used to justify chemical practices are discussed. The goal is to construct non-reductive frameworks and, where appropriate, defend forms of conceptual or ontological autonomy for chemical domains, without losing sight of the explanatory power of quantum theory. The methodology is theoretical and philosophical: systematic reading of specialized literature, argumentative reconstruction, conceptual analysis, and, when appropriate, the development of original formal proposals. A distinguishing feature is that interdisciplinarity is not understood as a mere sum of knowledge: the interaction between philosophical and scientific traditions is used as a tool to generate new questions, make implicit assumptions visible, and produce results that would hardly emerge from a single discipline.
In terms of activities, the initiative combines regular internal work with an active policy of academic exchange. It organizes discussion meetings and seminars and maintains workshops that serve as platforms for presenting advances and confronting ideas. Among these are the “Workshops on Foundations, Philosophy, and History of Physics” and the “Workshops on Foundations of Chemistry,” as well as the Conference on Quantum Foundations, which convene specialists to debate research on ontology, theory structure, explanation, reductionism, ontological pluralism, and modeling methodologies. Complementarily, the group promotes the dissemination of results through publications in international journals, participation in conferences on philosophy of science, foundations of physics, and philosophy of chemistry, and outreach activities aimed at non-specialist audiences.
Finally, the initiative seeks to build bridges between foundational research and contemporary problems. While maintaining its philosophical orientation, it recognizes that conceptual clarification of quantum theories impacts current discussions on emerging technologies; accordingly, its members occasionally contribute to training and advisory activities related to quantum technologies. In summary, the initiative consolidates a sustained space for research and debate that, from Argentina and in dialogue with the international community, contributes to a better understanding of what our theories describe, how they are interconnected, and what ontological commitments we assume by taking them seriously.
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Keywords: Foundations of Physics; Foundations of Chemistry; Philosophy of Physics; Philosophy of Chemistry; Foundations of Quantum Theory; Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics; Modal-Hamiltonian Interpretation; Quantum Ontology; Property Ontology; Quantum Indistinguishability; Quantum Contextuality; Measurement Problem; Quantum Non-locality; Quantum Decoherence; Irreversible Phenomena; Quantum Arrow of Time; Closed Systems in Quantum Mechanics; Intertheoretical Relations; Reductionism in Chemistry; Quantum Chemistry; Molecular Structure; Chemical Bond and Ontology; Electron Density; Quasiparticle Theories; Pseudoparticles; Ontological Pluralism; Emergence; Reductionism; Philosophy of Science; Philosophy of the Sciences; Scientific Models and Approximations; Science-Philosophy Interdisciplinarity.
Initiative for Philosophy and Foundations of Physics and Chemistry, Argentina