This book, written for the general reader, explores the fundamental issues concerning the nature of time and space, and quantum mechanics. It shows how physics and philosophy work together to answer some of the deepest questions everasked about the world. INDICE: 1: A Longish Introduction: The Problem of Change; 1.1: Melissus's Paradox; 1.2: What is Change?; 1.3: Laws; 1.4: Spacetime Today; 2: Zeno's Paradoxes: 2.1 The Dichotomy Paradox; 2.2: 'Supertasks'; 3: Zeno's Arrow Paradox: 3.1 The Paradox; 3.2: What Philosophy Can Teach Physics; 4: The Shape of Space I-Topology; 4.1: An End to Space?; 4.2: Neither Bounded Nor Infinite; 4.3:What Physics Can Teach Philosophy; 5: Beyond the Third Dimension?; 5.1: Multi-Dimensional Life; 5.2: More Than Three Dimensions?; 6: Why Three Dimensions?;6.1: The Force of Gravity and the Dimensions of Space; 6.2: Does Intelligent Life Take Three Dimensions?; 6.3: Is the Universe Made for Humans?; 6.4: The Megaverse; 6.5: Philosophy in Physics; 7: The Shape of Space II-Curved Space?; 7.1: Mathematical Certainty; 7.2: Life in Non-Euclidean Geometry;7.3 What Kindof Knowledge is Geometry?; 8: Looking For Geometry; 8.1: Measuring the Geometry of Space?; 8.2: The 'Geometry' of Poincare's Space; 8.3: How to Disprove a Definition; 8.4: Experiencing Space: 8.5 Where is Geometry?; 9: What is Space?; 9.1: Space=Matter; 9.2: Relational Space; 9.3: Absolute Space; 9.4: Relational Space Redux; 9.5: What Physics and Philosophy Can Teach Each Other; 10: Time; 10.1: Time vs. Space; 10.2: Nowism; 10.3: A Moving Now?; 10.4: McTaggart's Argument; 10.5: Passing Time in a Block Universe; 11: Time and Tralfamadore; 11.1: The Mind's Worldline; 11.2: Experience of Space vs. Time; 11.3: Another Arrow; 11.4: Physics and the Philosophy of Perception; 12: Time Travel; 12.1: What is Time Travel?; 12.2: Is Time Travel Possible?; 12.3: The Problem with Time Travel; 12.4: Possible and Impossible Time Travel; 12.5: The Philosophy andPhysics of Time Travel; 13: Why Can't I Stop my Younger Self from Time Traveling?; 13.1: Physics Might Stop Me; 13.2:.. and If Not, Logic Will; 13.3: My Precise Physical State Stops Me; 13.4: Living in a Physical Universe; 14: Spacetime and the Theory of Relativity; 14.1: Photons and Bullets; 14.2: Convention;14.3: Relativity-When is Now?; 14.4: Relativistic Spacetime; 14.5: Relativityof Length; 14.6: Relativity of Time; 15: Time in Relativity; 15.1: The Twins;15.2: General Relativity; 15.3: Time vs. Space Yet Again; 15.4 Einstein's Revolution in Philosophy: ; 16: Hands and Mirrors; 16.1: Is Handedness Intrinsic or Extrinsic?; 16.2: The 'Fitting' Account; 16.3: Kant's Argument against the Fitting Account; 16.4: Looking Left and Right; 16.5: Mirrors; 16.6: Orientability; 17: Identity; 17.1: Particle Statistics; 17.2: Schr:odinger's Counting Games; 18: Quarticles; 18.1: New Counting Games; 18.2: Hookon Identity; 18.3: Indistinguishable Quarticles?; 18.4: Quanta as Quarticles; 19: Where Next?
- ISBN: 978-0-19-537950-1
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 234
- Fecha Publicación: 11/02/2010
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés