Everywhere and Everywhen
Adventures in Physics and Philosophy
Published on 11. February 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
234 pages
978-0-19-537950-1 (ISBN)
Description
Why does time pass and space does not? Are there just three dimensions? What is a quantum particle? Nick Huggett shows that philosophy - armed with a power to analyze fundamental concepts and their relationship to the human experience -- has much to say about these profound questions about the universe. In Everywhere and Everywhen, Huggett charts a journey that peers into some of the oldest questions about the world, through some of the newest, such as: What shape is space? Does it have an edge? What is the difference between past and future? What is time in relativity? Is time travel possible? Are there other universes?
Huggett shows that answers to these profound questions are not just reserved for physics, and that philosophy can not only address but help advance our view of our deepest questions about the universe, space, and time, and their implications for humanity. His lively, accessible introduction to these topics is suitable for a general reader with no previous exposure to these profound and exciting questions.
Huggett shows that answers to these profound questions are not just reserved for physics, and that philosophy can not only address but help advance our view of our deepest questions about the universe, space, and time, and their implications for humanity. His lively, accessible introduction to these topics is suitable for a general reader with no previous exposure to these profound and exciting questions.
Reviews / Votes
Huggett's writing style is clear and accessible, the examples are plentiful and helpful, and the overall narrative structure of the book is successful, with each chapter leading to the next. * American Journal of Physics *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
General readers and students of Philosophy
Illustrations
49 line illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
363 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-537950-1 (9780195379501)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2010
Oxford University Press Inc
€100.30
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
02/2010
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
Person
Nick Huggett is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Content
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 Kind of 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 and Physics 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 Relativity of 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 ; 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?