Arthur Eddington
modernPhilosophy of Science, Structural Realism, Epistemological Idealism1882 – 1944
Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882–1944) was a British astrophysicist and philosopher of science whose 1919 solar eclipse expedition provided the first empirical confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity. Beyond observational work, he developed a distinctive epistemological idealism — 'selective subjectivism' — arguing that the structure of physical knowledge is partly mind-imposed. His philosophical writings engaged seriously with the foundations of spacetime geometry, quantum theory, and the nature of scientific explanation.
Notable Achievements
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Led the 1919 Principe solar eclipse expedition confirming Einstein's prediction of light deflection
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Developed 'selective subjectivism': the view that physical laws partly reflect the structure of mind and measurement
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Advanced the theory of stellar structure, including the mass-luminosity relation and radiation pressure in stars
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Engaged critically with Weyl, Reichenbach, and others on the conventionality of spacetime geometry
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Authored foundational works in philosophy of physics: The Nature of the Physical World (1928) and The Philosophy of Physical Science (1939)