Scientific Realism In Particle Physics

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Scientific Realism in Particle Physics

Matthias Egg
Scientific Realism in Particle Physics Book PDF

Author : Matthias Egg
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2014-08-19
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783110383515

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Scientific Realism in Particle Physics by Matthias Egg Pdf

Particle physics studies highly complex processes which cannot be directly observed. Scientific realism claims that we are nevertheless warranted in believing that these processes really occur and that the objects involved in them really exist. This book defends a version of scientific realism, called causal realism, in the context of particle physics. The first part of the book introduces the central theses and arguments in the recent philosophical debate on scientific realism and discusses entity realism, which is the most important precursor of causal realism. It also argues against the view that the very debate on scientific realism is not worth pursuing at all. In the second part, causal realism is developed and the key distinction between two kinds of warrant for scientific claims is clarified. This distinction proves its usefulness in a case study analyzing the discovery of the neutrino. It is also shown to be effective against an influential kind of pessimism, according to which even our best present theories are likely to be replaced some day by radically distinct alternatives. The final part discusses some specific challenges posed to realism by quantum physics, such as non-locality, delayed choice and the absence of particles in relativistic quantum theories.

Scientific Realism and the Quantum

Steven French,Juha Saatsi
Scientific Realism and the Quantum Book PDF

Author : Steven French,Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 335 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2020-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198814979

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Scientific Realism and the Quantum by Steven French,Juha Saatsi Pdf

Quantum theory is widely regarded as one of the most successful theories in the history of science. It explains a hugely diverse array of phenomena and is a natural candidate for our best representation of the world at the level of 'fundamental' physics. But how can the world be the way quantum theory says it is? It is famously unclear what the world is like according to quantum physics, which presents a serious problem for the scientific realist who is committed to regarding our best theories as more or less true. The present volume canvasses a variety of responses to this problem, from restricting or revising realism in different ways to exploring entirely new directions in the lively debate surrounding realist interpretations of quantum physics. Some urge us to focus on new formulations of the theory itself, while others examine the status of scientific realism in the further context of quantum field theory. Each chapter is written by a renowned specialist in the field and is aimed at graduate students and researchers in both physics and the philosophy of science. Together they offer a range of illuminating new perspectives on this fundamental debate and exemplify the fruitful interaction between physics and philosophy.

Contemporary Scientific Realism

Timothy D. Lyons,Peter Vickers
Contemporary Scientific Realism Book PDF

Author : Timothy D. Lyons,Peter Vickers
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2021-06-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780197554630

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Contemporary Scientific Realism by Timothy D. Lyons,Peter Vickers Pdf

Scientific realists claim we can justifiably believe that science is getting at the truth. However, they have faced historical challenges: various episodes across history appear to demonstrate that even strongly supported scientific theories can be overturned and left behind. In response, realists have developed new positions and arguments. As a result of specific challenges from the history of science, and realist responses, we find ourselves with an ever-increasing dataset bearing on the (possible) relationship between science and truth. The present volume introduces new historical cases impacting the debate and advances the discussion of cases that have only very recently been introduced. At the same time, shifts in philosophical positions affect the very kind of case study that is relevant. Thus, the historical work must proceed hand in hand with philosophical analysis of the different positions and arguments in play. It is with this in mind that the volume is divided into two sections, entitled "Historical Cases for the Debate" and "Contemporary Scientific Realism." All sides agree that historical cases are informative with regard to how, or whether, science connects with truth. Defying proclamations as early as the 1980s announcing the death knell of the scientific realism debate, here is that rare thing: a philosophical debate making steady and definite progress. Moreover, the progress it is making concerns one of humanity's most profound and important questions: the relationship between science and truth, or, put more boldly, the epistemic relation between humankind and the reality in which we find ourselves.

Particle Metaphysics

Brigitte Falkenburg
Particle Metaphysics Book PDF

Author : Brigitte Falkenburg
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 393 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2007-03-21
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783540337324

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Particle Metaphysics by Brigitte Falkenburg Pdf

Are the particles of modern physics "real" or are they virtual entities, their existence deduced merely by abstract theories? This book examines the continuing debate regarding the inner constitution of matter by exploring the particle concept in physics. It investigates if the particles of particle physics are real or not. Readers interested in the "true meaning" of such physical concepts will find this book informative and thought provoking.

The Reality of the Unobservable

E. Agazzi,M. Pauri
The Reality of the Unobservable Book PDF

Author : E. Agazzi,M. Pauri
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2013-04-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789401593915

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The Reality of the Unobservable by E. Agazzi,M. Pauri Pdf

Observability and Scientific Realism It is commonly thought that the birth of modern natural science was made possible by an intellectual shift from a mainly abstract and specuJative conception of the world to a carefully elaborated image based on observations. There is some grain of truth in this claim, but this grain depends very much on what one takes observation to be. In the philosophy of science of our century, observation has been practically equated with sense perception. This is understandable if we think of the attitude of radical empiricism that inspired Ernst Mach and the philosophers of the Vienna Circle, who powerfully influenced our century's philosophy of science. However, this was not the atti tude of the f ounders of modern science: Galileo, f or example, expressed in a f amous passage of the Assayer the conviction that perceptual features of the world are merely subjective, and are produced in the 'anima!' by the motion and impacts of unobservable particles that are endowed uniquely with mathematically expressible properties, and which are therefore the real features of the world. Moreover, on other occasions, when defending the Copernican theory, he explicitly remarked that in admitting that the Sun is static and the Earth turns on its own axis, 'reason must do violence to the sense' , and that it is thanks to this violence that one can know the tme constitution of the universe.

Varieties of Scientific Realism

Evandro Agazzi
Varieties of Scientific Realism Book PDF

Author : Evandro Agazzi
Publisher : Springer
Page : 405 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2017-03-08
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319516080

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Varieties of Scientific Realism by Evandro Agazzi Pdf

This book offers a comprehensive update on the scientific realism debate, enabling readers to gain a novel appreciation of the role of objectivity and truth in science and to understand fully the various ways in which antirealist conceptions have been subjected to challenge over recent decades. Authoritative representatives of different philosophical traditions explain their perspectives on the meaning and validity of scientific realism and describe the strategies being adopted to counter persisting antirealist positions. The coverage extends beyond the usual discussion of realism within the context of the natural sciences, and especially physics, to encompass also its applicability in mathematics, logic, and the human sciences. The book will appeal to all with an interest in the recent realist epistemologies of science, the nature of current philosophical debate, and the ongoing rehabilitation of truth as the legitimate goal of scientific research.

Philosophy of Science

Samir Okasha
Philosophy of Science Book PDF

Author : Samir Okasha
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 161 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198745587

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Philosophy of Science by Samir Okasha Pdf

"In this new edition Samir Ikasha reviews the main themes of contemporary philosophy of science. Beginning with a brief account of the history of modern science, he asks whether there is a discernible pattern to the way scientific ideas change over time. He examines scientific inference, scientific explanation, and the debate between realist and anti-realist views of science."--

Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality

Valia Allori
Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality Book PDF

Author : Valia Allori
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2022
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 3030996433

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Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality by Valia Allori Pdf

This edited collection provides new perspectives on some metaphysical questions arising in quantum mechanics. These questions have been long-standing and are of continued interest to researchers and graduate students working in physics, philosophy of physics and metaphysics. It features contributions from a diverse set of researchers, ranging from senior scholars to junior academics, working in varied fields, from physics to philosophy of physics and metaphysics. The contributors reflect on issues about fundamentality (is quantum theory fundamental? If so, what is its fundamental ontology?), ontological dependence (how do ordinary objects exist even if they are not fundamental?), realism (what kind of realism is compatible with quantum theory?), indeterminacy (can the world itself exhibit ontological indeterminacy?). With contributions from both physicists (including Nobel Prize winner Gerard 't Hooft), science communicators and philosophers. .

Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism

Christopher Norris
Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism Book PDF

Author : Christopher Norris
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2002-11-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781134595242

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Quantum Theory and the Flight from Realism by Christopher Norris Pdf

This book is a critical introduction to the long-standing debate concerning the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics and the problems it has posed for physicists and philosophers from Einstein to the present. Quantum theory has been a major infulence on postmodernism, and presents significant problems for realists. Keeping his own realist position in check, Christopher Norris subjects a wide range of key opponents and supporters of realism to a high and equal level of scrutiny. With a characteristic combination of rigour and intellectual generosity, he draws out the merits and weaknesses from opposing arguments. In a sequence of closely argued chapters, Norris examines the premises of orthodox quantum theory, as developed most influentially by Bohr and Heisenberg, and its impact on varous philosophical developments. These include the ideas developed by W.V Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Michael Dummett, Bas van Fraassen, and Hilary Puttnam. In each case, Norris argues, these thinkers have been influenced by the orthodox construal of quantum mechanics as requiring drastic revision of principles which had hitherto defined the very nature of scientific method, causal explanati and rational enquiry. Putting the case for a realist approach which adheres to well-tried scientific principles of causal reasoning and inference to the best explanation, Christopher Norris clarifies these debates to a non-specialist readership and scholars of philosophy, science studies and the philosophy of science alike. Quantum Theory and the Flight From Realism suggests that philosophical reflection can contribute to a better understanding of these crucial, current issues.

The Ideas of Particle Physics

G. D. Coughlan,J. E. Dodd,B. M. Gripaios
The Ideas of Particle Physics Book PDF

Author : G. D. Coughlan,J. E. Dodd,B. M. Gripaios
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2006-07-27
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780521677752

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The Ideas of Particle Physics by G. D. Coughlan,J. E. Dodd,B. M. Gripaios Pdf

A readable introduction to particle physics for anyone with a background in physical sciences.

The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism

Juha Saatsi
The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism Book PDF

Author : Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 456 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2017-11-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781351362917

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The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism by Juha Saatsi Pdf

Scientific realism is a central, long-standing, and hotly debated topic in philosophy of science. Debates about scientific realism concern the very nature and extent of scientific knowledge and progress. Scientific realists defend a positive epistemic attitude towards our best theories and models regarding how they represent the world that is unobservable to our naked senses. Various realist theses are under sceptical fire from scientific antirealists, e.g. empiricists and instrumentalists. The different dimensions of the ensuing debate centrally connect to numerous other topics in philosophy of science and beyond. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is an outstanding reference source – the first collection of its kind – to the key issues, positions, and arguments in this important topic. Its thirty-four chapters, written by a team of international experts, are divided into five parts: Historical development of the realist stance Classic debate: core issues and positions Perspectives on contemporary debates The realism debate in disciplinary context Broader reflections In these sections, the core issues and debates presented, analysed, and set into broader historical and disciplinary contexts. The central issues covered include motivations and arguments for realism; challenges to realism from underdetermination and history of science; different variants of realism; the connection of realism to relativism and perspectivism; and the relationship between realism, metaphysics, and epistemology. The Routledge Handbook of Scientific Realism is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science. It will also be very useful for anyone interested in the nature and extent of scientific knowledge.

Process Realism in Physics

William Penn
Process Realism in Physics Book PDF

Author : William Penn
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2023-07-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783110782677

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Process Realism in Physics by William Penn Pdf

Science should tell us what the world is like. However, realist interpretations of physics face many problems, chief among them the pessimistic meta induction. This book seeks to develop a realist position based on process ontology that avoids the traditional problems of realism. Primarily, the core claim is that in order for a scientific model to be minimally empirically adequate, that model must describe real experimental processes and dynamics. Any additional inferences from processes to things, substances or objects are not warranted, and so these inferences are shown to represent the locus of the problems of realism. The book then examines the history of physics to show that the progress of physical research is one of successive eliminations of thing interpretations of models in favor of more explanatory and experimentally verified process interpretations. This culminates in collections of models that cannot coherently allow for thing interpretations, but still successfully describe processes.

The Shaky Game

Arthur Fine
The Shaky Game Book PDF

Author : Arthur Fine
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 1996-12-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 0226249484

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The Shaky Game by Arthur Fine Pdf

In this new edition, Arthur Fine looks at Einstein's philosophy of science and develops his own views on realism. A new Afterword discusses the reaction to Fine's own theory. "What really led Einstein . . . to renounce the new quantum order? For those interested in this question, this book is compulsory reading."—Harvey R. Brown, American Journal of Physics "Fine has successfully combined a historical account of Einstein's philosophical views on quantum mechanics and a discussion of some of the philosophical problems associated with the interpretation of quantum theory with a discussion of some of the contemporary questions concerning realism and antirealism. . . . Clear, thoughtful, [and] well-written."—Allan Franklin, Annals of Science "Attempts, from Einstein's published works and unpublished correspondence, to piece together a coherent picture of 'Einstein realism.' Especially illuminating are the letters between Einstein and fellow realist Schrödinger, as the latter was composing his famous 'Schrödinger-Cat' paper."—Nick Herbert, New Scientist "Beautifully clear. . . . Fine's analysis is penetrating, his own results original and important. . . . The book is a splendid combination of new ways to think about quantum mechanics, about realism, and about Einstein's views of both."—Nancy Cartwright, Isis

Scientific Realism and the Quantum

Steven French,Juha Saatsi
Scientific Realism and the Quantum Book PDF

Author : Steven French,Juha Saatsi
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2020-02-13
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780192546562

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Scientific Realism and the Quantum by Steven French,Juha Saatsi Pdf

Quantum theory is widely regarded as one of the most successful theories in the history of science. It explains a hugely diverse array of phenomena and is a natural candidate for our best representation of the world at the level of 'fundamental' physics. But how can the world be the way quantum theory says it is? It is famously unclear what the world is like according to quantum physics, which presents a serious problem for the scientific realist who is committed to regarding our best theories as more or less true. The present volume canvasses a variety of responses to this problem, from restricting or revising realism in different ways to exploring entirely new directions in the lively debate surrounding realist interpretations of quantum physics. Some urge us to focus on new formulations of the theory itself, while others examine the status of scientific realism in the further context of quantum field theory. Each chapter is written by a renowned specialist in the field and is aimed at graduate students and researchers in both physics and the philosophy of science. Together they offer a range of illuminating new perspectives on this fundamental debate and exemplify the fruitful interaction between physics and philosophy.

Particle Physics

Lev Borisovich Okunʹ
Particle Physics Book PDF

Author : Lev Borisovich Okunʹ
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 246 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Particles (Nuclear physics).
ISBN : 3718602288

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Particle Physics by Lev Borisovich Okunʹ Pdf

Written by one of the world's leading theoretical physicists, this comprehensive volume offers a thorough overview of elementary particle physics and discusses progress in the field over the past two decades. The book forges links between new theoretical concepts and long-established facts in a style that both experts and students will find readable, informative, and challenging. A special section explains the use of relativistic quantum units, enabling readers to carry out back-of-the-envelope dimensional estimates. This ambitious book opens the door to a host of intriguing possibilities in the field of high-energy physics.