Uffink, J., Valente, G., Werndl, C., Zuchowski, L. (Eds.) The Legacy of Tatjana Afanassjewa: Philosophical Insights from the Work of an Original Physicist and Mathematician. Berlin etc.: Springer 2020. ISBN 978-3-030-47971-8

URL: https://www.springer.com/de/book/9783030479701

This book presents a collection of essays that explore the life and works of Tatjana Afanassjewa (1876–1964), a Russian–Dutch physicist–mathematician. Readers will discover a scientist whose work on the foundations of thermodynamics significantly influenced the field itself as well as the philosophy of physics. This book highlights the philosophical consequences of her work in physics and mathematics and discusses historical aspects of her writings on the foundations of physics. In addition, it features English translations and critical reviews of key selections from her texts.

First and foremost, the book highlights the numerous contributions that Afanassjewa made to the field. In particular, the authors examine her work on the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical physics, starting in the 1920s and extending to 1956, well after the untimely death of her husband in 1933. They also explore her almost entirely forgotten work on the didactics of mathematics. In addition, they discuss her influential collaboration with her husband, the Austrian physicist Paul Ehrenfest (1880–1933).

The portrait that emerges is that of a highly original physicist and mathematician, whose legacy continues to influence scientists and philosophers today and whose lesser-known works deserve more attention than they have received. Readers will find a rich body of work that continues to this day to yield insights into the foundations of physics and mathematics.

Jos Uffink is a Professor of the Philosophy of Physics at the Philosophy Department, University of Minnesota. His main interests are in the philosophy and foundations of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and probability theory.

Giovanni Valente is an Associate Professor of Logic and the Philosophy of Science at the Mathematics Department, Politecnico di Milano. His main research focus is on the philosophy and foundations of physics. In particular, he deals with the interpretation of quantum probability, issues of causality, ontology and symmetry breaking in relativistic quantum field theory, and the emergence of irreversibility in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.

Charlotte Werndl is a Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the Department of Philosophy, University of Salzburg, Austria, and a Visiting Professor at the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics, UK. Her research explores the foundations of physics (in particular, statistical mechanics), the philosophy of climate science, evidence and the philosophy of statistics, and the general philosophy of science (in particular, determinism and underdetermination).

Lena Zuchowski is a Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at the Philosophy Department, University of Bristol. Her research interests include scientific modeling; the methodologies of geomorphology and criminology; the foundations of randomness, chaos, and complexity theory; the philosophy of Poincaré; computing in science; and the ethics and political philosophy of Hannah Arendt.