Particle Metaphysics

A Critical Account of Subatomic Reality

Brigitte Falkenburg (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

XVIII, 386 Seiten

2010 | 1. Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2007
Springer Berlin (Verlag)
978-3-642-07029-7 (ISBN)

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Metaphysics, with which, as fate would have it, I have fallen in love but from which I can boast of only a few favours, o?ers two kinds of advantage. The ?rst is this: it can solve the problems thrown up by the enquiry of mind, when it uses reason to spy after the more hidden properties of things. But hope is here all too often disappointed by the outcome. And, on this occasion, too, satisfaction has escaped our eager grasp. [...] The second advantage of metaphysics is more consonant with the nature of the human understanding. It consists [...] in knowing what relation the question has to empirical concepts, upon which all our judgements must at all times be based. To that extent metaphysics is a science of the limits of human reason.[...] Thus, the second advantage of metaphysics is at once the least known and the most important, although it is also an advantage which is only attained at a fairly late stage and after long experience. 1 Immanuel Kant The tradition of the particle concept goes back to traditional metaphysics and ancient philosophy. The idea that matter is made up of microscopic constituent parts stems from ancient atomism. At the very beginnings of modern physics, it was taken up by Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. Newton thought that there are atoms of matter and light, but with the methods of Newtonian mechanics and optics they were beyond the reach of experiments.

Brigitte Falkenburg studierte Physik an der Universität Erlangen, der Technischen Universität Berlin und der Universität Heidelberg, und Philosophie an den Universitäten Bielefeld und Heidelberg. Sie promovierte 1985 zum Dr. phil mit einer Arbeit aus der Naturphilosophie und 1986 zum Dr.rer.nat. auf dem Gebiet der Hochenergiephysik. Seit 1997 ist sie Professorin für Philosophie der Wissenschaft und Technik an der Technischen Universität Dortmund. Sie ist Mitglied in der Académie Internationale de la Philosophie des Sciences , Brüssel, und der European Academy of Science . Zudem ist sie Sprecherin des Arbeitskreises Philosophie der Physik der DPG. Für ihre Arbeit zur Philosophie der Wissenschaft wurde sie mehrfach mit Preisen ausgezeichnet und hat zahlreiche Bücher und Schriften zur Philosophie der Physik, Natur- und Technikphilosophie veröffentlicht.

Scientific Realism.- Extending Physical Reality.- Particle Observation and Measurement.- Probing Subatomic Structure.- Measurement and the Unity of Physics.- Metamorphoses of the Particle Concept.- Wave-Particle Duality.- Subatomic Reality.

From the reviews:

"This work could, and should, change the direction of current philosophy of science. Accomplished physicist-philosopher Falkenburg ... has constructed a significant metaphysical framework in which to evaluate the knowledge claims of empirical particle physics. ... Urgently recommended to all philosophers of science and interested physicists. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (P. D. Skiff, CHOICE, Vol. v4 (3), November, 2007)

Erscheint lt. Verlag	23.11.2010
Reihe/Serie	The Frontiers Collection
Zusatzinfo	XVIII, 386 p. 30 illus.
Verlagsort	Berlin
Sprache	englisch
Maße	155 x 235 mm
Gewicht	606 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Atom- / Kern- / Molekularphysik
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Hochenergiephysik / Teilchenphysik
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Quantenphysik
Schlagworte	Classical limits of quantum theory • Measurement • Metaphysics • Particle concept • Particle physics • Philosophy • Philosophy of quantum physics • scientific realism
ISBN-10	3-642-07029-9 / 3642070299
ISBN-13	978-3-642-07029-7 / 9783642070297
Zustand	Neuware