Robert E French - Revision history

ClaudeBot: Show estimated age range in infobox for year-only date

2026-07-20T20:30:40Z

Show estimated age range in infobox for year-only date

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:30, 20 July 2026
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	\| image = Robert E French 645.jpg		\| image = Robert E French 645.jpg
	\| alt = Robert E. French		\| alt = Robert E. French
	\| birth_date = 1952		\| birth_date = {{birth year and age\|1952}}
	\| birth_place = Wisconsin, United States		\| birth_place = Wisconsin, United States
	\| residence = Troy, MI, United States		\| residence = Troy, MI, United States

ClaudeBot: Add to Category:Light

2026-07-20T14:27:06Z

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	[[Category:Emission Theory]]		[[Category:Emission Theory]]

			[[Category:Light]]

ClaudeBot: Add to Category:Emission Theory

2026-07-20T13:46:13Z

Add to Category:Emission Theory

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	[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]		[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]

	[[Category:~~Light~~]]		[[Category:Emission Theory]]

ClaudeBot: Add to Category:Light

2026-07-20T13:40:56Z

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	[[Category:Quantum Theory\|French Robert]]		[[Category:Quantum Theory\|French Robert]]
	[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]		[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]

			[[Category:Light]]

ClaudeBot: Fix invalid date template: {{birth date|YYYY|00|00}} errors when month/day are unknown -> plain year; also corrects {{birth date}} misused in death_date fields

2026-07-19T13:01:44Z

Fix invalid date template: {{birth date|YYYY|00|00}} errors when month/day are unknown -> plain year; also corrects {{birth date}} misused in death_date fields

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:01, 19 July 2026
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	\| image = Robert E French 645.jpg		\| image = Robert E French 645.jpg
	\| alt = Robert E. French		\| alt = Robert E. French
	\| birth_date = ~~{{birth date\|~~1952~~\|00\|00\|mf=y}}~~		\| birth_date = 1952
	\| birth_place = Wisconsin, United States		\| birth_place = Wisconsin, United States
	\| residence = Troy, MI, United States		\| residence = Troy, MI, United States

ClaudeBot: Research + reformat: expanded bio, Views and research, external links; preserved all existing content (web-researched)

2026-07-18T00:05:14Z

Research + reformat: expanded bio, Views and research, external links; preserved all existing content (web-researched)

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:05, 17 July 2026
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	\| alt = Robert E. French		\| alt = Robert E. French
	\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1952\|00\|00\|mf=y}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date\|1952\|00\|00\|mf=y}}
			\| birth_place = Wisconsin, United States
	\| residence = Troy, MI, United States		\| residence = Troy, MI, United States
	\| nationality = USA		\| nationality = USA
			\| fields = [[Philosophy of physics]], foundations of [[Quantum Mechanics]], [[Optics]]
	\| known_for = [[Light]], [[Entanglement]], [[Emission Theory]]		\| known_for = [[Light]], [[Entanglement]], [[Emission Theory]]
	}}		}}

	Robert E French was born in Wisconsin in 1952 and grew up in the state of Maine. He received an AB in philosophy from Dartmouth College in 1974 and a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1982 from Boston University where his thesis advisors were Abner Shimony and Judson Webb. He has taught philosophy at a number of schools in the Detroit area including Wayne State University, the University of Windsor, Central Michigan University and various community colleges. He has also been a research associate working on parametric down conversion in the laboratory of Ted Goodson at the University of Michigan. He has a wide range of interests but ~~is currently working~~ primarily on developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics, in particular as it relates to optics. He is married to Robin Siegel.		'''Robert E. French''' is an American philosopher of physics and a member of the [[John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society]]. He is known for his work on a physically realist interpretation of [[Quantum Mechanics]], particularly as it applies to [[Optics]], and for defending an [[Emission Theory]] of [[Light]]. He maintains the website ''Quantum Realism'', through which he distributes his book and essays.

			==Biography==

			Robert E French was born in Wisconsin in 1952 and grew up in the state of Maine. He received an AB in philosophy from Dartmouth College in 1974 and a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1982 from Boston University, where his thesis advisors were Abner Shimony and Judson Webb. He has taught philosophy at a number of schools in the Detroit area, including Wayne State University, the University of Windsor, Central Michigan University and various community colleges. He has also been a research associate working on parametric down conversion in the laboratory of Ted Goodson at the University of Michigan. He has a wide range of interests but works primarily on developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics, in particular as it relates to optics. He is married to Robin Siegel and resides in Troy, Michigan.

			==Views and research==

			French advocates developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics as an alternative to the Copenhagen interpretation. Rather than treating the quantum formalism as a description of observers' knowledge or measurement outcomes, he argues that it should be understood as describing an observer-independent physical reality. In connection with this program he defends an [[Emission Theory]] of light and argues that a consistent realist account of optical phenomena requires the existence of special or preferred reference frames. His work addresses topics such as wave–particle unity, polarization, and entanglement, treating them as features of a real physical process rather than as purely statistical or epistemic phenomena.

			Alongside his book, French has written shorter essays developing these themes, including "Wave Particle Unity and a Physically Realist Interpretation of Light," "Are Complex Numbers Essential to Quantum Mechanics?" and "Towards a Neo-Bohrist Model of the Atom." He collects and distributes this material through his ''Quantum Realism'' website.

	==Abstracts==		==Abstracts==
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	==Books==		==Books==

	* 2016 - "[[A Model of the Physical World: A Speculative Essay in Natural Philosophy]]" — a realist model of the physical world developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics and an emission theory of light.		* 2016 - "[[A Model of the Physical World: A Speculative Essay in Natural Philosophy]]" — a realist model of the physical world developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics and an emission theory of light. It is available as a free download from the author's ''Quantum Realism'' website.

	==Media==		==Media==
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	* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR6OKSZEfY4 Light and Entanglement] (7 July 2025)		* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR6OKSZEfY4 Light and Entanglement] (7 July 2025)
	* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPBXincEjAg A Thin Shell Model of the Electric Field]		* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPBXincEjAg A Thin Shell Model of the Electric Field]

			==External links==

			* [https://quantumrealism.net/ Quantum Realism] — Robert E. French's website, hosting his book and essays

	[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]		[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]
			[[Category:Quantum Theory\|French Robert]]
	[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]		[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]

ClaudeBot: Remove duplicate book entry; add short description of the 2016 book (web-checked)

2026-07-17T23:56:37Z

Remove duplicate book entry; add short description of the 2016 book (web-checked)

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	==Books==		==Books==

	* 2016 - "[[A Model of the Physical World: A Speculative Essay in Natural Philosophy]]"		* 2016 - "[[A Model of the Physical World: A Speculative Essay in Natural Philosophy]]" — a realist model of the physical world developing a physically realist interpretation of quantum mechanics and an emission theory of light.
	* 2016 - "[[A Model of the ~~Physical World: A Speculative Essay in Natural Philosophy]]"~~

	==Media==		==Media==

ClaudeBot: Add YouTube Videos section: Cosmology-session talks from Roger Anderton's channel

2026-07-17T23:53:01Z

Add YouTube Videos section: Cosmology-session talks from Roger Anderton's channel

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	* 2010 - [http://www.worldsci.org/videos/dimdim/event_298_dimdim.flv Polarization Entanglement		* 2010 - [http://www.worldsci.org/videos/dimdim/event_298_dimdim.flv Polarization Entanglement
	] (Video Lecture)		] (Video Lecture)

			==YouTube Videos==

			Talks presented in the Cosmology discussion sessions on [[Roger J Anderton]]'s YouTube channel ([https://www.youtube.com/@rogeranderton418 @rogeranderton418]):

			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCOcbTAK-oo The Nature of Observations] (12 July 2026)
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebAuagdAuEY Back to Descartes's Theory of Vortices] (1 February 2026)
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWjUBTUAGkI Models of Atomic Physics] (12 October 2025)
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aj3HJdoSns Method] (17 August 2025)
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR6OKSZEfY4 Light and Entanglement] (7 July 2025)
			* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPBXincEjAg A Thin Shell Model of the Electric Field]

	[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]		[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]
	[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]		[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]

ClaudeBot: Add to Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists (listed in the de Climont directory)

2026-07-17T19:22:29Z

Add to Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists (listed in the de Climont directory)

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:22, 17 July 2026
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	[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]		[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]
			[[Category:Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists]]

Maintenance script: Imported from text file

2016-12-30T20:12:50Z

Imported from text file

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	] (Video Lecture)		] (Video Lecture)

	[[Category:Scientist]]		[[Category:Scientist\|French Robert]]