A Minimalist Ontology of the Natural World Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Mathematics and Physics Series
Auteurs : Esfeld Michael, Deckert Dirk-Andre
This book seeks to work out which commitments are minimally sufficient to obtain an ontology of the natural world that matches all of today?s well-established physical theories. We propose an ontology of the natural world that is defined only by two axioms: (1) There are distance relations that individuate simple objects, namely matter points. (2) The matter points are permanent, with the distances between them changing. Everything else comes in as a means to represent the change in the distance relations in a manner that is both as simple and as informative as possible. The book works this minimalist ontology out in philosophical as well as mathematical terms and shows how one can understand classical mechanics, quantum field theory and relativistic physics on the basis of this ontology. Along the way, we seek to achieve four subsidiary aims: (a) to make a case for a holistic individuation of the basic objects (ontic structural realism); (b) to work out a new version of Humeanism, dubbed Super-Humeanism, that does without natural properties; (c) to set out an ontology of quantum physics that is an alternative to quantum state realism and that avoids any ontological dualism of particles and fields; (d) to vindicate a relationalist ontology based on point objects also in the domain of relativistic physics.
1. Introduction
2. Matter Points and their Dynamics
3. Minimalist Ontology and Dynamical Structure in Classical and Quantum Mechanics
4. A Persistent Particle Ontology for Quantum Field Theory
5. Relationalism for Retativisitc Physics
Michael Esfeld is full professor of philosophy of science at the University of Lausanne since 2002. His last book with Routledge is Conservative reductionism (with Christian Sachse) (2008).
Dirk-André Deckert is leader of the junior research group «Interaction of Light and Matter» in the Mathematical Institute of Ludwig Maximilians University Munich. Book publication Electromagnetic absorber theory – a mathematical study (2010).
Date de parution : 08-2020
15.2x22.9 cm
Date de parution : 11-2017
15.2x22.9 cm
Thèmes d’A Minimalist Ontology of the Natural World :
Mots-clés :
Bohmian Mechanics; Matter Points; Michael Esfeld; Minimalist Ontology; Dirk-André Deckert; Primitive Ontology; Antonio Vassallo; Wave Function; Andrea Oldofredi; Ontic Structural Realism; Dustin Lazarovici; Humean Mosaic; philosophy of science; Dirac Sea; philosophy of physics; Maxwell Lorentz Theory; philosophy of mathematics; Fock Space; ontology; Electron Positron Pair Creation; Classical Electrodynamics; physical theories; Reduced Density Matrices; quantum mechanics; Leibnizian Relationalism; quantum field theory; Initial Wave Function; Past Light Cone; Humeanism; Particle Number Operators; natural properties; Bohmian Approach; quantum physics; Substantival Space Time; Leibnizian relationalist ontology; Fermion Sectors; Everett-style quantum state realism; Geodesic Motion; Spatio Temporal Intervals; naturalized metaphysics; Configuration Space; metaphysics; Stress Energy Tensor; distance relations; Spontaneous Localization; electrodynamics; Bohmian quantum mechanics; Dirac sea model; quantum entanglement