Egg Scientific Realism in Particle Physics

A Causal Approach
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-3-11-035440-9
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 29, 200 Seiten

Reihe: Epistemische Studien / Epistemic Studies

Particle physics studies highly complex processes which cannot be directly observed. Scientific realism claims that we are nevertheless warranted in believing that these processes really occur and that the objects involved in them really exist. This book defends a version of scientific realism, called causal realism, in the context of particle physics.The first part of the book introduces the central theses and arguments in the recent philosophical debate on scientific realism and discusses entity realism, which is the most important precursor of causal realism. It also argues against the view that the very debate on scientific realism is not worth pursuing at all.In the second part, causal realism is developed and the key distinction between two kinds of warrant for scientific claims is clarified. This distinction proves its usefulness in a case study analyzing the discovery of the neutrino. It is also shown to be effective against an influential kind of pessimism, according to which even our best present theories are likely to be replaced some day by radically distinct alternatives.The final part discusses some specific challenges posed to realism by quantum physics, such as non-locality, delayed choice and the absence of particles in relativistic quantum theories.

Zielgruppe

Academics, Institutes, Libraries

Autoren/Hrsg.

Egg, Matthias

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie der Mathematik, Philosophie der Physik
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Wissenschaftstheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Quantenphysik Teilchenphysik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;9
2;Preface;5
3;Part I. The Recent Debate on Scientific Realism;11
3.1;1. Scientific Realism and Its Relation to Common Sense;13
3.1.1;1.1 Key Arguments Surrounding Scientific Realism;14
3.1.2;1.2 Scientific Realism without Common Sense Realism?;23
3.2;2. Entity Realism;29
3.2.1;2.1 From Theories to Entities;30
3.2.2;2.2 Is Manipulability an Adequate Criterion of Reality?;33
3.2.3;2.3 From Manipulation to Explanation;38
3.3;3. NOA and the Vices of the Realism Debate;43
3.3.1;3.1 In Defense of Interpretation;43
3.3.2;3.2 The Principle of Fairness;50
3.3.3;3.3 NOA, Entity Realism, and the Homely Line;54
4;Part II. Causal Realism;57
4.1;4. Causal vs. Theoretical Warrant;59
4.1.1;4.1 Criterion 1: Non-redundancy;60
4.1.2;4.2 Criterion 2: Material Inference;64
4.1.3;4.3 Criterion 3: Empirical Adequacy;69
4.1.4;4.4 Causal Realism’s Advantages over Entity Realism;72
4.2;5. Causal Warrant for the Neutrino: A Case Study;77
4.2.1;5.1 Bohr and Pauli on Beta Decay;77
4.2.2;5.2 The Impact of Fermi’s Theory and the Need for Direct Detection;79
4.2.3;5.3 The Detection of the Neutrino by Reines and Cowan;82
4.3;6. The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives;89
4.3.1;6.1 Previous Attempts to Undermine the PUA;90
4.3.2;6.2 Causal Knowledge as a Criterion for the Realist;95
4.3.3;6.3 Causal Realism, Unconceived Alternatives, and the Atomic Hypothesis;102
5;Part III. The Quantum Challenge;113
5.1;7. Causal Realism in the Context of Bell-Type Experiments;115
5.1.1;7.1 Bell-Experiments: Causal Warrant for Superluminal Causation;115
5.1.2;7.2 Causal Realism and Underdetermination in Quantum Mechanics;124
5.1.3;7.3 Some Experimental Constraints on Explanations for EPR;132
5.2;8. Delayed-Choice Experiments and the Metaphysics of Entanglement?;147
5.2.1;8.1 Delayed Choice in the Double-Slit Experiment;149
5.2.2;8.2 The Quantum Eraser;150
5.2.3;8.3 Delayed-Choice Entanglement Swapping;155
5.3;9. Particle Physics without Particles? On Causal Realism in Quantum Field Theory;159
5.3.1;9.1 Against Localizability: Malament’s Theorem and Its Generalizations;159
5.3.2;9.2 Against Countability: Unruh Effect and Interacting Fields;164
5.3.3;9.3 Defending Localizability and Countability;171
5.3.4;9.4 Concluding Remarks on Realism, Fundamentalism, and QFT;179
6;Bibliography;185
7;Index;197

Über Autor(innen)

Matthias Egg, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.