Quantum Theory and Reality

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Physics, Gravity
Cover of the book Quantum Theory and Reality by , Springer Berlin Heidelberg
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9783642880261
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg Publication: March 8, 2013
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9783642880261
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication: March 8, 2013
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

The Tum of the Tide During centuries physicists were supposed to be studying the physical world. Since the turn of the century this assumption has often been challenged as naive: it was proclaimed that physics is not about the external world but about observers and their manipUlations: that it is meaningless to talk of anything else than observation devices and opera­ tions: that the laws of physics concern our knowledge rather than the external world. This view of the nature of physical science has old roots in philo­ sophy but it was independently reinvented by a number of philosophi­ cally inclined physicists, notably ERNST MACH. These scientists were disgusted with the school philosophies and they were alarmed by the increasing number of physical concepts which they regarded as meta­ physical or beyond experimental control, such as those of absolute motion, ether, electromagnetic field, and molecule. Reasonably enough, they wished to keep physics testable. To accomplish this goal they adopted the safe method, namely to banish every idea that could not be closely tied to observation. In this way they certainly avoided the risks of untestable speculation but they also failed to enjoy the benefits of theoretical invention. Furthermore they instituted unawares a new meta­ physics that was to dominate the philosophy of physics for half a century: the metaphysics according to which the world is made of sense experience.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Tum of the Tide During centuries physicists were supposed to be studying the physical world. Since the turn of the century this assumption has often been challenged as naive: it was proclaimed that physics is not about the external world but about observers and their manipUlations: that it is meaningless to talk of anything else than observation devices and opera­ tions: that the laws of physics concern our knowledge rather than the external world. This view of the nature of physical science has old roots in philo­ sophy but it was independently reinvented by a number of philosophi­ cally inclined physicists, notably ERNST MACH. These scientists were disgusted with the school philosophies and they were alarmed by the increasing number of physical concepts which they regarded as meta­ physical or beyond experimental control, such as those of absolute motion, ether, electromagnetic field, and molecule. Reasonably enough, they wished to keep physics testable. To accomplish this goal they adopted the safe method, namely to banish every idea that could not be closely tied to observation. In this way they certainly avoided the risks of untestable speculation but they also failed to enjoy the benefits of theoretical invention. Furthermore they instituted unawares a new meta­ physics that was to dominate the philosophy of physics for half a century: the metaphysics according to which the world is made of sense experience.

More books from Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Cover of the book Core Labour Standards and International Trade by
Cover of the book Software Product Management by
Cover of the book Power, Voting, and Voting Power: 30 Years After by
Cover of the book Fertilization in Protozoa and Metazoan Animals by
Cover of the book Complexity, Cognition and the City by
Cover of the book Die Physik der Sterne by
Cover of the book Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie by
Cover of the book Health Care Financing and Insurance by
Cover of the book Prozessinnovation erfolgreich anwenden by
Cover of the book Advances in K-means Clustering by
Cover of the book Das kleine Buch der Zahlen by
Cover of the book Radiation Dose from Multidetector CT by
Cover of the book POCT - Patientennahe Labordiagnostik by
Cover of the book TRIPS plus 20 by
Cover of the book Giant Intracranial Aneurysms by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy