Causality, Realism and the Two Strands of Boltzmann's Legacy (1896 - 1936)
Author: Michael Stöltzner
Publisher:
Published: 2003
Total Pages: 355
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKPosts
Physical (A)Causality
Author: Karl Svozil
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2018-02-13
Total Pages: 215
ISBN-13: 3319708155
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book addresses the physical phenomenon of events that seem to occur spontaneously and without any known cause. These are to be contrasted with events that happen in a (pre-)determined, predictable, lawful, and causal way. All our knowledge is based on self-reflexive theorizing, as well as on operational means of empirical perception. Some of the questions that arise are the following: are these limitations reflected by our models? Under what circumstances does chance kick in? Is chance in physics merely epistemic? In other words, do we simply not know enough, or use too crude levels of description for our predictions? Or are certain events "truly", that is, irreducibly, random? The book tries to answer some of these questions by introducing intrinsic, embedded observers and provable unknowns; that is, observables and procedures which are certified (relative to the assumptions) to be unknowable or undoable. A (somewhat iconoclastic) review of quantum mechanics is presented which is inspired by quantum logic. Postulated quantum (un-)knowables are reviewed. More exotic unknowns originate in the assumption of classical continua, and in finite automata and generalized urn models, which mimic complementarity and yet maintain value definiteness. Traditional conceptions of free will, miracles and dualistic interfaces are based on gaps in an otherwise deterministic universe.
Scientific Representation
Author: Bas C. van Fraassen
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 2010-07-22
Total Pages: 422
ISBN-13: 0191613746
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBas C. van Fraassen presents an original exploration of how we represent the world. Science represents natural phenomena by means of theories, as well as in many concrete ways by such means as pictures, graphs, table-top models, and computer simulations. Scientific Representation begins with an inquiry into the nature of representation in general, drawing on such diverse sources as Plato's dialogues, the development of perspectival drawing in the Renaissance, and the geometric styles of modelling in modern physics. Starting with Mach's and Poincaré's analyses of measurement and the 'problem of coordination', van Fraassen then presents a view of measurement outcomes as representations. With respect to the theories of contemporary science he defends an empiricist structuralist version of the 'picture theory' of science, through an inquiry into the paradoxes that came to light in twentieth-century philosophies of science. Van Fraassen concludes with an analysis of the complex relationship between appearance and reality in the scientific world-picture.
A Different Thermodynamics and its True Heroes
Author: Evgeni B. Starikov
Publisher: CRC Press
Published: 2019-04-01
Total Pages: 872
ISBN-13: 042901452X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKModern thermodynamics is a unique but still not a logically self-consistent field of knowledge. It has a proven universal applicability and significance but its actual potential is still latent. The development of the foundations of thermodynamics was in effect non-stop but absolutely no one has any idea about this. This book is the first of its kind that will motivate researchers to build up a logically consistent field of thermodynamics. It greatly appreciates the actual depth and potential of thermodynamics which might also be of interest to readers in history and philosophy of scientific research. The book presents the life stories of the protagonists in detail and allows readers to cast a look at the whole scene of the field by showcasing a significant number of their colleagues whose works have fittingly complemented their achievements. It also tries to trigger a detailed analysis of the reasons why the actual work in this extremely important field has in effect gone astray. It comprises five chapters and introduces three scientists in the first two chapters, which are specifically devoted to the Scandinavian achievements in macroscopic thermodynamics. These introductions are novel and call for a detailed reconsideration of the field. The third chapter acquaints the readers with their fourth colleague in Germany who was working on the proper link between the macroscopic thermodynamics, kinetics, and the atomistic representation of matter. The fourth chapter brings in their fifth colleague in the United States who could formally infer the famous formula S = k * ln(W), ingeniously guessed by Ludwig Boltzmann, and thus clarify the physical sense of the entropy notion. The last chapter summarizes the above-mentioned discourses.
The Oxford Handbook of the History of Quantum Interpretations
Author: Guido Bacciagaluppi
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2022
Total Pages: 1311
ISBN-13: 0198844492
DOWNLOAD EBOOKCrucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy. This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity. This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.
Brain, Mind and Consciousness in the History of Neuroscience
Author: C.U.M. Smith
Publisher: Springer Science & Business
Published: 2014-04-23
Total Pages: 374
ISBN-13: 9401787743
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis volume of essays examines the problem of mind, looking at how the problem has appeared to neuroscientists (in the widest sense) from classical antiquity through to contemporary times. Beginning with a look at ventricular neuropsychology in antiquity, this book goes on to look at Spinozan ideas on the links between mind and body, Thomas Willis and the foundation of Neurology, Hooke’s mechanical model of the mind and Joseph Priestley’s approach to the mind-body problem. The volume offers a chapter on the 19th century Ottoman perspective on western thinking. Further chapters trace the work of nineteenth century scholars including George Henry Lewes, Herbert Spencer and Emil du Bois-Reymond. The book covers significant work from the twentieth century, including an examination of Alfred North Whitehead and the history of consciousness, and particular attention is given to the development of quantum consciousness. Chapters on slavery and the self and the development of an understanding of Dualism bring this examination up to date on the latest 21st century work in the field. At the heart of this book is the matter of how we define the problem of consciousness itself: has there been any progress in our understanding of the working of mind and brain? This work at the interface between science and the humanities will appeal to experts from across many fields who wish to develop their understanding of the problem of consciousness, including scholars of Neuroscience, Behavioural Science and the History of Science.
The Cambridge Companion to Einstein
Author: Michel Janssen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2014-05-19
Total Pages: 579
ISBN-13: 0521828341
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThese fourteen essays by leading historians and philosophers of science introduce the reader to the work of Albert Einstein. Following an introduction that places Einstein's work in the context of his life and times, the essays explain his main contributions to physics in terms that are accessible to a general audience, including special and general relativity, quantum physics, statistical physics, and unified field theory. The closing essays explore the relation between Einstein's work and twentieth-century philosophy, as well as his political writings.
The Vienna Circle in Czechoslovakia
Author: Radek Schuster
Publisher: Springer Nature
Published: 2020-02-24
Total Pages: 204
ISBN-13: 303036383X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book explores the remarkable interconnections of the Czechoslovak environment and the work and legacy of the Vienna Circle on the philosophical, scientific and artistic level. The Czech lands and later Czechoslovakia were the living and working space for the predecessors and catalysts for Logical Empiricism, such as Bernard Bolzano, Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein, along with key figures in the Vienna Circle such as Philipp Frank and Rudolf Carnap. Moreover, Prague hosted important academic events in which Logical Empiricism was presented to the public, such as the September 1929 1st Conference on the Epistemology of the Exact Sciences, which launched the key manifesto, The Vienna Circle. The Scientific Conception of the World. In addition, this book investigates both the positive and negative receptions of Logical Empiricism within Czech and Slovak intellectual circles. The volume features a selection of contributions to the international conference, The Vienna Circle in Czechoslovakia, held in Pilsen, Czech Republic, in February 2015. These essays are supplemented by two texts of vivid personal memoirs by Nina Holton and Ladislav Tondl. The book is of interest to scholars and researchers interested in the history of philosophy and science in central Europe and the philosophy of science and the Logical Empiricism of the Vienna Circle.
Edgar Zilsel: Philosopher, Historian, Sociologist
Author: Donata Romizi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Published: 2022-08-24
Total Pages: 414
ISBN-13: 3030936872
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book provides a new all-round perspective on the life and work of Edgar Zilsel (1891-1944) as a philosopher, historian, and sociologist. He was close to the Vienna Circle and has been hitherto almost exclusively referred to in terms of the so-called “Zilsel thesis” on the origins of modern science. Much beyond this “thesis”, Zilsel’s brilliant work provides original insights on a broad number of topics, ranging from the philosophy of probability and statistics to the concept of “genius”, from the issues of scientific laws and theories to the sociological background of science and philosophy, and to the political analysis of the problems of his time. Praised by Herbert Feigl as an “outstanding brilliant mind”, Zilsel, being as a Social-Democrat of Jewish origins, mostly led a life of hardship marked by emigration and coming to a sudden and tragic end by suicide in 1944. The impossibility of an academic career has hindered the reception of Zilsel’s scientific work for a long time. This volume is a contribution to its late reception, providing new insights especially into his work during his years in Vienna; moreover, it shows the heuristic value of Zilsel’s ideas for future scholarly research – in philosophy, history, and sociology.
Physical (A)Causality
Author: Karl Svozil
Publisher:
Published: 2020-10-08
Total Pages: 214
ISBN-13: 9781013269837
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book addresses the physical phenomenon of events that seem to occur spontaneously and without any known cause. These are to be contrasted with events that happen in a (pre-)determined, predictable, lawful, and causal way.All our knowledge is based on self-reflexive theorizing, as well as on operational means of empirical perception. Some of the questions that arise are the following: are these limitations reflected by our models? Under what circumstances does chance kick in? Is chance in physics merely epistemic? In other words, do we simply not know enough, or use too crude levels of description for our predictions? Or are certain events "truly", that is, irreducibly, random? The book tries to answer some of these questions by introducing intrinsic, embedded observers and provable unknowns; that is, observables and procedures which are certified (relative to the assumptions) to be unknowable or undoable. A (somewhat iconoclastic) review of quantum mechanics is presented which is inspired by quantum logic. Postulated quantum (un-)knowables are reviewed. More exotic unknowns originate in the assumption of classical continua, and in finite automata and generalized urn models, which mimic complementarity and yet maintain value definiteness. Traditional conceptions of free will, miracles and dualistic interfaces are based on gaps in an otherwise deterministic universe. This work was published by Saint Philip Street Press pursuant to a Creative Commons license permitting commercial use. All rights not granted by the work's license are retained by the author or authors.
