Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale

Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale
Title Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale PDF eBook
Author Craig Callender
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Total Pages 380
Release 2001-01-29
Genre Science
ISBN 9780521664455

Download Physics Meets Philosophy at the Planck Scale Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Was the first book to examine the exciting area of overlap between philosophy and quantum mechanics with chapters by leading experts from around the world.

Beyond Spacetime

Beyond Spacetime
Title Beyond Spacetime PDF eBook
Author Nick Huggett
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Total Pages 371
Release 2020-05-14
Genre Science
ISBN 1108757189

Download Beyond Spacetime Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

One of the greatest challenges in fundamental physics is to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity in a theory of quantum gravity. A successful theory would have profound consequences for our understanding of space, time, and matter. This collection of essays written by eminent physicists and philosophers discusses these consequences and examines the most important conceptual questions among philosophers and physicists in their search for a quantum theory of gravity. Comprising three parts, the book explores the emergence of classical spacetime, the nature of time, and important questions of the interpretation, metaphysics, and epistemology of quantum gravity. These essays will appeal to both physicists and philosophers of science working on problems in foundational physics, specifically that of quantum gravity.

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time
Title The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time PDF eBook
Author Craig Callender
Publisher OUP Oxford
Total Pages 704
Release 2011-04-07
Genre Science
ISBN 0191559385

Download The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Time Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

As the study of time has flourished in the physical and human sciences, the philosophy of time has come into its own as a lively and diverse area of academic research. Philosophers investigate not just the metaphysics of time, and our experience and representation of time, but the role of time in ethics and action, and philosophical issues in the sciences of time, especially with regard to quantum mechanics and relativity theory. This Handbook presents twenty-three specially written essays by leading figures in their fields: it is the first comprehensive collaborative study of the philosophy of time, and will set the agenda for future work.

Quantum Physics Meets the Philosophy of Mind

Quantum Physics Meets the Philosophy of Mind
Title Quantum Physics Meets the Philosophy of Mind PDF eBook
Author Antonella Corradini
Publisher Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages 218
Release 2014-08-19
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 3110351064

Download Quantum Physics Meets the Philosophy of Mind Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Quantum physics, in contrast to classical physics, allows non-locality and indeterminism in nature. Moreover, the role of the observer seems indispensable in quantum physics. In fact, quantum physics, unlike classical physics, suggests a metaphysics that is not physicalism (which is today’s official metaphysical doctrine). As is well known, physicalism implies a reductive position in the philosophy of mind, specifically in its two core areas, the philosophy of consciousness and the philosophy of action. Quantum physics, in contrast, is compatible with psychological non-reductionism, and actually seems to support it. The essays in this book explore, from various points of view, the possibilities of basing a non-reductive philosophy of mind on quantum physics. In doing so, they not only engage with the ontological and epistemological aspects of the question but also with the neurophysiological ones.

Epistemology and Probability

Epistemology and Probability
Title Epistemology and Probability PDF eBook
Author Arkady Plotnitsky
Publisher Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages 426
Release 2009-10-20
Genre Science
ISBN 0387853340

Download Epistemology and Probability Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This book offers an exploration of the relationships between epistemology and probability in the work of Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and Erwin Schro- ̈ dinger, and in quantum mechanics and in modern physics as a whole. It also considers the implications of these relationships and of quantum theory itself for our understanding of the nature of human thinking and knowledge in general, or the ‘‘epistemological lesson of quantum mechanics,’’ as Bohr liked 1 to say. These implications are radical and controversial. While they have been seen as scientifically productive and intellectually liberating to some, Bohr and Heisenberg among them, they have been troublesome to many others, such as Schro ̈ dinger and, most prominently, Albert Einstein. Einstein famously refused to believe that God would resort to playing dice or rather to playing with nature in the way quantum mechanics appeared to suggest, which is indeed quite different from playing dice. According to his later (sometime around 1953) remark, a lesser known or commented upon but arguably more important one: ‘‘That the Lord should play [dice], all right; but that He should gamble according to definite rules [i. e. , according to the rules of quantum mechanics, rather than 2 by merely throwing dice], that is beyond me. ’’ Although Einstein’s invocation of God is taken literally sometimes, he was not talking about God but about the way nature works. Bohr’s reply on an earlier occasion to Einstein’s question 1 Cf.

The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics

The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics
Title The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics PDF eBook
Author Dean Rickles
Publisher Routledge
Total Pages 444
Release 2016-11-25
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 1317044312

Download The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Introducing the reader to the very latest developments in the philosophical foundations of physics, this book covers advanced material at a level suitable for beginner and intermediate students. A detailed overview is provided of the central debates in the philosophy of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, quantum computation, and quantum gravity. Each chapter consists of a 'state of the art' review written by a specialist in the field and introduces the reader to the relevant formal aspects along with the philosophical implications. These, and the various interpretive options, are developed in a self-contained, clear, and concise manner. Special care is given to situating the reader within the contemporary debates by providing numerous references and readings. This book thus enables both philosophers and physicists to engage with the most pressing problems in contemporary philosophy of physics in a fruitful way.

The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics

The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics
Title The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics PDF eBook
Author Eleanor Knox
Publisher Routledge
Total Pages 787
Release 2021-09-28
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 131722714X

Download The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the state of the art in the philosophy of physics. It comprisess 54 self-contained chapters written by leading philosophers of physics at both senior and junior levels, making it the most thorough and detailed volume of its type on the market – nearly every major perspective in the field is represented. The Companion’s 54 chapters are organized into 12 parts. The first seven parts cover all of the major physical theories investigated by philosophers of physics today, and the last five explore key themes that unite the study of these theories. I. Newtonian Mechanics II. Special Relativity III. General Relativity IV. Non-Relativistic Quantum Theory V. Quantum Field Theory VI. Quantum Gravity VII. Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics VIII. Explanation IX. Intertheoretic Relations X. Symmetries XI. Metaphysics XII. Cosmology The difficulty level of the chapters has been carefully pitched so as to offer both accessible summaries for those new to philosophy of physics and standard reference points for active researchers on the front lines. An introductory chapter by the editors maps out the field, and each part also begins with a short summary that places the individual chapters in context. The volume will be indispensable to any serious student or scholar of philosophy of physics.