James Thomas Cushing (; 4 February 1937 – 29 March 2002) was an

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theoretical physicist and philosopher of science. He was professor of physics as well as professor of philosophy at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

Life and career

He studied physics in several universities in the US, obtaining his

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from

Loyola University, Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesake is Saint Ignat ...

, Illinois in 1959, his

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from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1960 and his

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, also in physics, from the

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in 1963. He then performed research at the

, the

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

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and the

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, after which he joined the University of Notre Dame, initially as assistant professor from 1966 to 1969, then advancing to associate professor and, from 1978 onwards, as professor of physics. From 1990 to 1993, he additionally was professor of philosophy at the same university. Cushing's main areas of research were the history and philosophy of 20th century physics and the foundations of

quantum theory Quantum theory may refer to: Science *Quantum mechanics, a major field of physics *Old quantum theory, predating modern quantum mechanics * Quantum field theory, an area of quantum mechanics that includes: ** Quantum electrodynamics ** Quantum ch ...

. He investigated in particular interpretations of quantum mechanics, including the historical reasons for the success of the Copenhagen interpretation over hidden-variable theories or the

de Broglie–Bohm theory The de Broglie–Bohm theory, also known as the ''pilot wave theory'', Bohmian mechanics, Bohm's interpretation, and the causal interpretation, is an interpretation of quantum mechanics. In addition to the wavefunction, it also postulates an act ...

(causal interpretation of quantum mechanics). Since 2004, an annual prize is awarded in honor of James T. Cushing to younger scholars for significant work in the history and philosophical foundations of modern physics.

Publications

James T. Cushing has authored more than 100 scientific articles. ;Books: * James T. Cushing, ''Philosophical Concepts in Physics: The Historical Relation between Philosophy and Scientific Theories'', Cambridge University Press, 1998 * J. T. Cushing, A. Fine, S. Goldstein (eds.)
''Bohmian Mechanics and Quantum-Theory: An Appraisal''
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 1996 (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 184) * James T. Cushing

The University of Chicago Press, 1994 (cloth) (paper) * James T. Cushing

Cambridge University Press, 1990 * James T. Cushing and Ernan McMullin (eds.), ''Philosophical Consequences of Quantum Theory'', University of Notre Dame Press, 1989 * James T. Cushing, C. F. Delaney and Gary Gutting (eds.), ''Science and Reality: Recent Work in the Philosophy of Science'', University of Notre Dame Press, 1984 * James T. Cushing, ''Applied Analytical Mathematics for Physical Scientists'', John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 651 pages (1975)

References

External links

James T. Cushing
curriculum vitae, University of Notre Dame 1937 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American physicists Quantum physicists Philosophers of science Theoretical physicists People from Long Beach, California University of Notre Dame faculty Northwestern University alumni Loyola University Chicago alumni University of Iowa alumni 20th-century American philosophers Fellows of the American Physical Society {{US-physicist-stub