Download or read book Quantum Ontology written by Peter J. Lewis and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-06-13 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Metaphysicians should pay attention to quantum mechanics. Why? Not because it provides definitive answers to many metaphysical questions-the theory itself is remarkably silent on the nature of the physical world, and the various interpretations of the theory on offer present conflicting ontological pictures. Rather, quantum mechanics is essential to the metaphysician because it reshapes standard metaphysical debates and opens up unforeseen new metaphysical possibilities. Even if quantum mechanics provides few clear answers, there are good reasons to think that any adequate understanding of the quantum world will result in a radical reshaping of our classical world-view in some way or other. Whatever the world is like at the atomic scale, it is almost certainly not the swarm of particles pushed around by forces that is often presupposed. This book guides readers through the theory of quantum mechanics and its implications for metaphysics in a clear and accessible way. The theory and its various interpretations are presented with a minimum of technicality. The consequences of these interpretations for metaphysical debates concerning realism, indeterminacy, causation, determinism, holism, and individuality (among other topics) are explored in detail, stressing the novel form that the debates take given the empirical facts in the quantum domain. While quantum mechanics may not deliver unconditional pronouncements on these issues, the range of possibilities consistent with our knowledge of the empirical world is relatively small-and each possibility is metaphysically revisionary in some way. This book will appeal to researchers, students, and anybody else interested in how science informs our world-view.
Download or read book Descartes Metaphysical Physics written by Daniel Garber and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1992-05 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this first book-length treatment of Descartes' important and influential natural philosophy, Daniel Garber is principally concerned with Descartes' accounts of matter and motion—the joint between Descartes' philosophical and scientific interests. These accounts constitute the point at which the metaphysical doctrines on God, the soul, and body, developed in writings like the Meditations, give rise to physical conclusions regarding atoms, vacua, and the laws that matter in motion must obey. Garber achieves a philosophically rigorous reading of Descartes that is sensitive to the historical and intellectual context in which he wrote. What emerges is a novel view of this familiar figure, at once unexpected and truer to the historical Descartes. The book begins with a discussion of Descartes' intellectual development and the larger project that frames his natural philosophy, the complete reform of all the sciences. After this introduction Garber thoroughly examines various aspects of Descartes' physics: the notion of body and its identification with extension; Descartes' rejection of the substantial forms of the scholastics; his relation to the atomistic tradition of atoms and the void; the concept of motion and the laws of motion, including Descartes' conservation principle, his laws of the persistence of motion, and his collision law; and the grounding of his laws in God.
Download or read book The Metaphysics Within Physics written by Tim Maudlin and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2007-04-19 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does physics tell us about metaphysics? Tim Maudlin's philosophical examination of the fundamental structure of the world as presented by physics challenges the most widely accepted philosophical accounts of laws of nature, universals, the direction of time and causation.
Download or read book Time Machines written by Paul J. Nahin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2001-04-20 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the idea of time travel from the first account in English literature to the latest theories of physicists such as Kip Thorne and Igor Novikov. This very readable work covers a variety of topics including: the history of time travel in fiction; the fundamental scientific concepts of time, spacetime, and the fourth dimension; the speculations of Einstein, Richard Feynman, Kurt Goedel, and others; time travel paradoxes, and much more.
Download or read book Information and the Nature of Reality written by Paul Davies and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-15 with total page 507 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From quantum to biological and digital, here eminent scientists, philosophers and theologians chart various aspects of information.
Download or read book The Metaphysics written by Aristotle and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2004-05-27 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Metaphysics presents Aristotle's mature rejection of both the Platonic theory that what we perceive is just a pale reflection of reality and the hardheaded view that all processes are ultimately material. He argued instead that the reality or substance of things lies in their concrete forms, and in so doing he probed some of the deepest questions of philosophy: What is existence? How is change possible? And are there certain things that must exist for anything else to exist at all? The seminal notions discussed in The Metaphysics - of 'substance' and associated concepts of matter and form, essence and accident, potentiality and actuality - have had a profound and enduring influence, and laid the foundations for one of the central branches of Western philosophy.
Download or read book Doing Philosophy written by Timothy Williamson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-09 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What are philosophers trying to achieve? How can they succeed? Does philosophy make progress? Is it in competition with science, or doing something completely different, or neither? Timothy Williamson tackles some of the key questions surrounding philosophy in new and provocative ways, showing how philosophy begins in common sense curiosity, and develops through our capacity to dispute rationally with each other. Discussing philosophy's ability to clarify our thoughts, he explains why such clarification depends on the development of philosophical theories, and how those theories can be tested by imaginative thought experiments, and compared against each other by standards similar to those used in the natural and social sciences. He also shows how logical rigour can be understood as a way of enhancing the explanatory power of philosophical theories. Drawing on the history of philosophy to provide a track record of philosophical thinking's successes and failures, Williamson overturns widely held dogmas about the distinctive nature of philosophy in comparison to the sciences, demystifies its methods, and considers the future of the discipline. From thought experiments, to deduction, to theories, this little book will cause you to totally rethink what philosophy is.
Download or read book Beyond Matter written by Roger Trigg and published by Templeton Foundation Press. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does science have all the answers? Can it even deal with abstract reasoning which reaches beyond the world experienced by us? How can we be so sure that the physical world is sufficiently ordered to be intelligible to humans? How is it that mathematics, a product of human minds, can unlock the secrets of the physical universe? Are all such questions to be ruled out as inadmissible if science cannot settle them? Metaphysics has traditionally been understood as reasoning beyond the reach of science, sometimes even claiming realities that are beyond its grasp. Because of this, metaphysics has often been contemptuously dismissed by scientists and philosophers who wish to remain within the bounds of what can be scientifically proven. Yet scientists at the frontiers of physics unwittingly engage in metaphysics, as they are now happy to contemplate whole universes that are, in principle, beyond human reach. Roger Trigg challenges those who deny that science needs philosophical assumptions. In fact, Trigg claims that the foundations of science themselves have to lie beyond science. It takes reasoning apart from what can be experienced to discover what is not yet known, and this metaphysical reasoning to imagine realities beyond what can be accessed. “In Beyond Matter, Roger Trigg advances a powerful, persuasive, fair-minded argument that the sciences require a philosophical, metaphysical foundation. This is a brilliant book for new-comers to philosophy of science and experts alike.” —Charles Taliaferro, professor of philosophy, St. Olaf College
Download or read book Metaphysics and Cognitive Science written by Alvin I. Goldman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-27 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume illustrates how the methodology of metaphysics can be enriched with the help of cognitive science. Few philosophers nowadays would dispute the relevance of cognitive science to the metaphysics of mind, but this volume mainly concerns the relevance of metaphysics to phenomena that are not themselves mental. The volume is thus a departure from standard analytical metaphysics. Among the issues to which results from cognitive science are brought to bear are the metaphysics of time, of morality, of meaning, of modality, of objects, and of natural kinds, as well as whether God exists. A number of chapters address the enterprise of metaphysics in general. In traditional analytical metaphysics, intuitions play a prominent role in the construction of, and assessment of theories. Cognitive science can be brought to bear on the issue of the reliability of intuitions. Some chapters point out how results from cognitive science can be deployed to debunk certain intuitions, and some point out how results can be deployed to help vindicate certain intuitions. Many metaphysicians have taken to heart the moral that physics should be taken into account in addressing certain metaphysical issues. The overarching point of the volume is that in many instances beyond the nature of the mind itself, cognitive science should also be consulted.
Download or read book The Tools of Metaphysics and the Metaphysics of Science written by Theodore Sider and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Metaphysics has shifted ground, moving away from necessity and possibility as the lens through which we look at things. Ted Sider shapes the agenda for the subject by exploring how this shift transforms the project of understanding the objects, properties, and quantities of the universe, and the relations between them, in terms of structures.
Download or read book Basic Structures of Reality written by Colin McGinn and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-12-09 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Basic Structures of Reality, Colin McGinn deals with questions of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind from the vantage point of physics. Combining general philosophy with physics, he covers such topics as the definition of matter, the nature of space, motion, gravity, electromagnetic fields, the character of physical knowledge, and consciousness and meaning. Throughout, McGinn maintains an historical perspective and seeks to determine how much we really know of the world described by physics. He defends a version of "structuralism": the thesis that our knowledge is partial and merely abstract, leaving a large epistemological gap at the center of physics. McGinn then connects this element of mystery to parallel mysteries in relation to the mind. Consciousness emerges as just one more mystery of physics. A theory of matter and space is developed, according to which the impenetrability of matter is explained as the deletion of volumes of space. McGinn proposes a philosophy of science that distinguishes physics from both psychology and biology, explores the ontology of energy, and considers the relevance of physics to seemingly remote fields such as the theory of meaning. In the form of a series of aphorisms, the author presents a metaphysical system that takes laws of nature as fundamental. With its broad scope and deep study of the fundamental questions at the heart of philosophy of physics, this book is not intended primarily for specialists, but for the general philosophical reader interested in how physics and philosophy intersect.
Download or read book Physics Metaphysics and God Third Edition written by Jack W. Geis and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2010-07 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "At long last, a promising dialogue between science and medicine has begun. A focal point of this discussion is healing and how it happens. Jack W. Geis shows how modern physics and spirituality are centrally involved in this debate. No one who is interested in the current interface between science, spirituality and medicine can afford to neglect his ideas."—Larry Dossey, MD, Author: Healing Beyond the Body, and Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine "This book introduces some of the most perplexing and exciting aspects of the revolution going on in physics today as it continues toward an increasingly metaphysical basis for defining reality. This exciting scientific revolution should be shared by everyone and the issues taken up in this book form a basis for that participation. That the math is not in the chalk is becoming increasingly evident, as well as the question as to which is more substantial."—Dr. Laurance R. Doyle, Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, SETI Institute
Download or read book From Physics to Metaphysics written by Michael Redhead and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1996-08-15 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is drawn from the Tarner lectures, delivered in Cambridge in 1993. It is concerned with the ultimate nature of reality, and how this is revealed by modern physical theories such as relativity and quantum theory. The objectivity and rationality of science are defended against the views of relativists and social constructionists. It is claimed that modern physics gives us a tentative and fallible, but nevertheless rational, approach to the nature of physical reality. The role of subjectivity in science is examined in the fields of relativity theory, statistical mechanics and quantum theory, and recent claims of an essential role for human consciousness in physics are rejected. Prospects for a 'Theory of Everything' are considered, and the related question of how to assess scientific progress is carefully examined.
Download or read book Quantum Non Locality and Relativity written by Tim Maudlin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-05-06 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third edition of Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity has been carefully updated to reflect significant developments, including a new chapter covering important recent work in the foundations of physics. A new edition of the premier philosophical study of Bell’s Theorem and its implication for the relativistic account of space and time Discusses Roderich Tumiulka’s explicit, relativistic theory that can reproduce the quantum mechanical violation of Bell’s inequality. Discusses the "Free Will Theorem" of John Conway and Simon Kochen Introduces philosophers to the relevant physics and demonstrates how philosophical analysis can help inform physics
Download or read book How Science Has Discovered God Physics Metaphysics and Beyond written by Darrell Hall and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2024-05-06 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you are searching for practical strategies and arguments to defend your Christian faith, How Science Has Discovered God: Physics, Metaphysics, and Beyond is a must-read. Through meticulous research and analysis, Darrell Hall skillfully conveys scientific concepts and theories—from the origins of the universe to the origins of life—all the while displaying the fingerprints of an intelligent Creator. Hall bridges the perceived gap between reason and belief, offering compelling scientific, philosophical, historical, and theological arguments for the existence of God. How Science Has Discovered God is not just another book on the relationship between science and religion. It is a quest for the truth about reality and the meaning and purpose of life. It engages the reader in a thought-provoking exploration of Christian Apologetics, revealing the existence of a loving and purposeful Creator. Explore with the author: why God is the best explanation for the big bang, the fine-tuning of the universe, the mathematical intelligibility of the universe, the existence of mind, consciousness, and free will, and much more. Unearth the evidence for the claims of Jesus and his resurrection, and see how suffering and evil are best explained through a loving God. This authoritative and comprehensive study is sure to provide material for thought and inspiration. Over two thousand years ago, Jesus assured us that God is real, that God does care, and that everything we do does matter. With a willingness to follow where the evidence leads, join Darrell Hall in a search for truth. Open your mind and heart, and listen to the voice of God, as He speaks through His Creation, and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Download or read book International University Lectures Psychology Chemistry Astronomy Physics Metaphysics Logic Ethnics Mathematics Utilitarian science Medicine written by and published by . This book was released on 1909 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Aristotle s Physics written by Joe Sachs and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aristotle's Physics is one of the least studied "great books"--physics has come to mean something entirely different than Aristotle's inquiry into nature, and stereotyped Medieval interpretations have buried the original text. Sach's translation is really the only one that I know of that attempts to take the reader back to the text itself. -- Leon Cass, University of Chicago
