Robert Weingard

Key takeaways

Robert Weingard belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Robert Weingard to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Robert Weingard from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Robert Weingard (1942 – September 14, 1996) was an American philosopher. He was a philosopher of science and professor of philosophy at Rutgers University.

Biography Born 1942, in New York City, Weingard became faculty member at Rutgers University and later joined the Department of Philosophy of Rutger University's School of Arts and Sciences in 1988. Weingard died on September 14, 1996, aged 53 or 54, of a heart attack. Some of his articles were published posthumously. Weingard supervised the PhD thesis Explaining Time's Arrow (1997) of Craig Callender, now professor of philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. He also supervised the PhD thesis of Nick Huggett, now an LAS Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at University of Illinois, Chicago (1995). Weingard worked on the philosophy of physics and the philosophy of space and time. His interest included in particular the foundations of quantum mechanics, the de Broglie–Bohm theory and quantum field theory and relations to quantum cosmology.

Publications Robert Weingard: A philosopher looks at string theory. In: Craig Callender, Nick Huggett (eds.): Physics meets philosophy at the Planck scale: contemporary theories in quantum gravity, Cambridge University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-521-66280-X / ISBN 0-521-66445-4, pp. 138–151 Craig Callender, Robert Weingard: Topology change and the unity of space, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 227–246, 2000, full text Nick Huggett, Robert Weingard: Gauge fields, gravity and Bohm's theory. In: Tian Yu Cao (ed.): Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Field Theory, Cambridge University Press, 1999, p. 287 Craig Callender, Robert Weingard: Nonlocality in the expanding infinite well, Foundations of Physics Letters, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 495–498, 1998, full text Robert Weingard, Craig Callender: Trouble in paradise: Problems for Bohm's theory, The Monist, Quantum Mechanics and the Real World, vol. 80, no. 1 January 1997, abstract (in French language) H. R. Brown, A. Elby, R. Weingard: Cause and effect in the pilot-wave interpretation of quantum mechanics, in "Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum Theory: An Appraisal", eds. J.T. Cushing, A. Fine and S. Goldstein, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 1996, pp. 309–319 Craig Callender, Robert Weingard: Time, Bohm's theory, and quantum cosmology, Philosophy of Science, vol. 63, September 1996, pp. 470–474, abstract Nick Huggett, Robert Weingard: Critical Review: Paul Teller's interpretive introduction to quantum field theory, Philosophy of Science, vol. 63, June 1996, pp. 302–314, abstract Craig Callender, Robert Weingard: Bohmian cosmology and the quantum smearing of the initial singularity (communicated by Peter R. Holland), Physics Letters A, Volume 208, Issues 1–2, 20 November 1995, pp. 59–61, abstract Nick Huggett, Robert Weingard: Interpretations of quantum field theory, Philosophy of Science, 61, 1994, pp. 370–388, abstract Craig Callender, Robert Weingard: The Bohmian model of quantum cosmology, Philosophy of Science Association, PSA 1994, Vol. 1, pp. 218–227, abstract Nick Huggett, Robert Weingard: On the field aspect of quantum fields, Erkenntnis, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 293–301, 1994, doi:10.1007/BF01128900, abstract Robert Weingard, Gerrit Smith: Critical notice: Michael Friedman's Foundations of space-time theories, Philosophy of Science, vol. 53, 1986, pp. 286–299, abstract Robert Weingard: Grand unified gauge theories and the number of elementary particles, Philosophy of Science, vol. 51, 1984, pp. 150–155, abstract Robert Weingard, Gerrit Smith: Spin and space, Synthese, vol. 50, pp. 213–231, 1982, abstract Robert Weingard: Some philosophical aspects of black holes, Synthese, Volume 42, Number 1, 191–219, 1979, doi:10.1007/BF00413713 abstract Robert Weingard: Discussion: General relativity and the conceivability of time travel, Philosophy of Science, vol. 46, 1979, pp. 328–332, abstract Robert Weingard: Relativity and the spatiality of mental events, Philosophical Studies, vol. 31, no. 4, 1977, pp. 279–284, doi:10.1007/BF01855233, abstract Robert Weingard: On the unity of space, Philosophical Studies, vol. 29, no. 3, 1976, pp. 215–220, doi:10.1007/BF00373159, abstract Robert Weingard: On the Ontological Status of the Metric in General Relativity, Journal of Philosophy, vol. 72, August 1975, pp. 426–431. Robert Weingard: On Travelling Backward in Time, Synthese, vol. 24 (Issue entitled Space, Time and Geometry), 1972, pp. 115–132, doi:10.1007/BF00540145, abstract

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Robert Weingard

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Robert Weingard claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Robert Weingard before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Robert Weingard ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Robert Weingard

In research: Robert Weingard appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Robert Weingard in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Robert Weingard is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1942 births, 1996 deaths, Philosophers of science, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Robert Weingard outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Robert Weingard in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Robert Weingard means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Robert Weingard out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Robert Weingard in simple terms?

Robert Weingard (1942 – September 14, 1996) was an American philosopher. He was a philosopher of science and professor of philosophy at Rutgers University.

Why does Robert Weingard matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Robert Weingard?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Robert Weingard.