Appearance and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Physics / Edition 1

by Peter Kosso

Overview

Appearance and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Physics addresses quantum mechanics and relativity and their philosophical implications, focusing on whether these theories of modern physics can help us know nature as it really is, or only as it appears to us. The author clearly explains the foundational concepts and principles of both quantum mechanics and relativity and then uses them to argue that we can know more than mere appearances, and that we can know to some extent the way things really are. He argues that modern physics gives us reason to believe that we can know some things about the objective, real world, but he also acknowledges that we cannot know everything, which results in a position he calls "realistic realism." This book is not a survey of possible philosophical interpretations of modern physics, nor does it leap from a caricature of the physics to some wildly alarming metaphysics. Instead, it is careful with the physics and true to the evidence in arriving at its own realistic conclusions. It presents the physics without mathematics, and makes extensive use of diagrams and analogies to explain important ideas. Engaging and accessible, Appearance and Reality serves as an ideal introduction for anyone interested in the intersection of philosophy and physics, including students in philosophy of physics and philosophy of science courses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195115154
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/21/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.12(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Peter Kosso is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Northern Arizona University. He is the author of Reading the Book of Nature (1992) and Observability and Observation in Physical Science (1989).

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroduction1. Physics and PhilosophyWhy This Will Require Both Physics and PhilosophyStandards of ProofFrom Physics to PhilosophyUseful Philosophical ConceptsPhilosophical IssuesPhilosophical Evidence2. Appearance and RealityScientific ObservationThe Conceptual InfluenceThe Physical InfluenceNature as It IsPhilosophical Arguments about RealismReturn to Bohr3. The Special Theory of RelativityThe Principle of RelativitySpace and TimeRelative and Absolute PropertiesThe Foundations of the Special Theory of RelativityConsequences of the Absolute Speed of LightThe Relativity of SimultaneityTime DilationLength ContractionMitch's ParadoxNothing Can Go Faster Than the Speed of LightSummary of the Special Theory of Relativity4. The General Theory of RelativityGeneral Covariance and the Principle of EquivalenceConsequences of General Covariance and the Principle of EquivalenceThe Bending of LightGravitational Red-shift (Time Dilation)The Curvature of SpacetimeMach's PrincipleSummary of the General Theory of Relativity5. Relativity and RealismTwo Separate QuestionsThe Way Nature IsHow Do We Know the Theory is True? Summary6. Quantum MechanicsProbability, Cause and Effect, and DeterminismParticles and WavesThe State Function, Complementarity, and the Uncertainty PrincipleSpin and the EPR ExperimentBell's ProofSummary of Quantum Mechanics7. Quantum Mechanics and RealismWhat to Make of Bell's ProofThe Quantum/Classical DistinctionThe Copenhagen InterpretationThe Measurement ProblemAlternative Interpretations of Quantum MechanicsThe Many-words InterpretationThe Consciousness InterpretationIt's All Quantum MechanicsBohm's TheorySummary8. Realistic RealmTwo Kinds of Questions: Metaphysics and EpistemologyThe Metaphysical IssueThe Epistemological IssueIt's Not the End of the WorldReferences and Suggested ReadingPhilosophical BackgroundRelativityQuantum MechanicsHistorical and Biographical AccountsPrimary Sources