The battle of High Temperature Superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper examines the conflicting theories of high temperature superconductivity, exploring their historical, philosophical, and scientific roots, and discusses implications for scientific pluralism and dialectic materialism.

Contribution

It provides a philosophical analysis of the development of theories in high temperature superconductivity and discusses the subjective and objective roots of scientific diversity.

Findings

Highlights the biographical and subjective roots of scientific disagreement.

Connects scientific pluralism with philosophical concepts like relativism and underdetermination.

Suggests developments in dialectic materialism based on the case study.

Abstract

The early development of conflicting theories about the microscopic mechanism of High Temperature Superconductivity is described. The biographical roots of this diversity are stressed, as well as its subjective/objective roots. This study of a specific case of knowledge about a specific fact of nature allows to discuss the subjective and objective roots of scientific pluralism. Relativism, the Duhem-Quine thesis on the underdetermination of theory by facts, are discussed from the stand point of the materialist view on the dialectics of knowledge and nature. Developments of dialectic materialism seem to be suggested by this study.