Philosophy of Physics

A sophisticated and original introduction to the philosophy of quantum mechanics from one of the world's leading philosophers of physics

In this book, Tim Maudlin, one of the world's leading philosophers of physics, offers a sophisticated, original introduction to the philosophy of quantum mechanics. The briefest, clearest, and most refined account of his influential approach to the subject, the book will be invaluable to all students of philosophy and physics.

Quantum mechanics holds a unique place in the history of physics. It has produced the most accurate predictions of any scientific theory, but, more astonishing, there has never been any agreement about what the theory implies about physical reality. Maudlin argues that the very term "quantum theory" is a misnomer. A proper physical theory should clearly describe what is there and what it does--yet standard textbooks present quantum mechanics as a predictive recipe in search of a physical theory.

In contrast, Maudlin explores three proper theories that recover the quantum predictions: the indeterministic wavefunction collapse theory of Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber; the deterministic particle theory of deBroglie and Bohm; and the conceptually challenging Many Worlds theory of Everett. Each offers a radically different proposal for the nature of physical reality, but Maudlin shows that none of them are what they are generally taken to be.

O introducere sofisticata si originala la filosofia mecanicii cuantice de la unul dintre cei mai importanti filosofi ai fizicii din lume In aceasta carte, Tim Maudlin, unul dintre cei mai importanti filosofi ai fizicii din lume, ofera o introducere sofisticata si originala la filosofia mecanicii cuantice. Cea mai scurta, mai clara si mai rafinata relatare a abordarii sale influente asupra subiectului, cartea va fi de nepretuit pentru toti studentii la filosofie si fizica. Mecanica cuantica detine un loc unic in istoria fizicii.