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The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of PhysicsEditedbyRobertBatterman
OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford.ItfurtherstheUniversity'sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship,andeducationbypublishingworldwide.OxfordNewYorkAucklandCapeTownDaresSalaamHongKongKarachiKualaLumpurMadridMelbourneMexicoCityNairobiNewDelhiShanghaiTaipeiTorontoWithofficesinArgentinaAustriaBrazilChileCzechRepublicFranceGreeceGuatemalaHungaryItalyJapanPolandPortugalSingaporeSouthKoreaSwitzerlandThailandTurkeyUkraineVietnamOxfordisaregisteredtrademarkofOxfordUniversityPressintheUKandcertainothercountries.PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyOxfordUniversityPress198MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016OxfordUniversityPress2013Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,withoutthepriorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,orasexpresslypermittedbylaw,bylicense,orundertermsagreedwiththeappropriatereproductionrightsorganization.InquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidethescopeoftheaboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,OxfordUniversityPress,attheaddressabove.Youmustnotcirculatethisworkinanyotherformandyoumustimposethissameconditiononanyacquirer.LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
TheOxfordhandbookofphilosophyofphysics/editedbyRobertBatterman.p.cm.ISBN978-0-19-539204-3(alk.paper)1.PhysicsPhilosophy.I.Batterman,RobertW.II.Title:Handbookofphilosophyofphysics.QC6.O9252012530.1dc232012010291135798642
CONTENTS
Contributors Introduction
Robert Batterman
1. For a Philosophy of Hydrodynamics Olivier Darrigol
2. What Is "Classical Mechanics" Anyway? Mark Wilson
3. Causation in Classical Mechanics
Sheldon R. Smith
4. Theories of Matter: Infinities and Renormalization Leo P. Kaodanoff
5. Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes: Philosophical
Questions Raised by Phase Transitions Tarun Menon and Craig Callender
6. Effective Field Theories
]onathan Bain
7. The Tyranny of Scales Robert Batterman
8. Symmetry
Sorin Bangu
9. Symmetry and Equivalence Gordon Belot
10. lndistinguishability
Simon Saunders
11. Unification in Physics
Margaret Morrison 12. Measurement and Classical Regime in Quantum Mechanics
Guido Bacciagaluppi 13. The Everett Interpretation
David Wallace 14. Unitary Equivalence and Physical Equivalence
Laura Ruetsche 15. Substantivalist and Relationalist Approaches to Spacetime
Oliver Pooley 16. Global Spacetime Structure
John Byron Manchak 17. Philosophy of Cosmology
Chris Smeenk Index
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ContributorsTheOxfordHandbookofPhilosophyofPhysicsEditedbyRobertBatterman
Contributors
GuidoBacciagaluppi
isReaderinPhilosophyattheUniversityofAberdeen.Hisfieldofresearchisthephilosophyofphysics,inparticularthephilosophyofquantumtheory.Healsoworksonthehistoryofquantumtheoryandhaspublishedabookonthe1927Solvayconference(togetherwithA.Valentini).Healsohasinterestsinthefoundationsofprobabilityandinissuesoftimesymmetryandasymmetry.
JonathanBain
isAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyofScienceatthePolytechnicInstituteofNewYorkUniversity.Hisresearchinterestsincludephilosophyofspace-time,scientificrealism,andphilosophyofquantumfieldtheory.
Contributors
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SorinBangu
isAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofBergen,Norway.HereceivedhisPh.D.fromtheUniversityofTorontoandhaspreviouslybeenapostdoctoralfellowattheUniversityofWesternOntarioandafixed-termlecturerattheUniversityofCambridge,DepartmentofHistoryandPhilosophyofScience.Hismaininterestsareinphilosophyofscience(especiallyphilosophyofphysics,mathematics,andprobability)andlaterWittgenstein.Hehaspublishedextensivelyintheseareasandhasrecentlycompletedabookmanuscriptonthemetaphysicalandepistemologicalissuesarisingfromtheapplicabilityofmathematicstoscience.
RobertBatterman
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofPittsburgh.HeisaFellowoftheRoyalSocietyofCanada.HeistheauthorofThedevilinthedetails:Asymptoticreasoninginexplanation,reduction,andemergence(Oxford,2002).Hisworkinphilosophyofphysicsfocusesprimarilyupontheareaofcondensedmatterbroadlyconstrued.Hisresearchinterestsincludethefoundationsofstatisticalphysics,dynamicalsystemsandchaos,asymptoticreasoning,mathematicalidealizations,thephilosophyofappliedmathematics,explanation,reduction,andemergence.
GordonBelot
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofMichigan.Hehaspublishedanumberofarticlesonphilosophyofphysicsandrelatedareasandonesmallbook,Geometricpossibility(Oxford,2011).
CraigCallender
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego.Hehaswrittenwidelyinphilosophyofscience,metaphysics,andphilosophyofphysics.HeistheeditorofPhysicsmeetsphilosophyatthePlancklength(withHuggett)andtheOxfordhandbookofthephilosophyoftime.Heiscurrentlyworkingonabookmonographontherelationshipbetweenphysicaltimeandtimeasweexperienceit.
Contributors
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OlivierDarrigol
isaCNRSresearchdirectorintheSPHERE/RehseisresearchteaminParis.Heinvestigatesthehistoryofphysics,mostlynineteenthandtwentiethcentury,withastronginterestinrelatedphilosophicalquestions.HeistheauthorofseveralbooksincludingFromc-numberstoq-numbers:Theclassicalanalogyinthehistoryofquantumtheory(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1992),ElectrodynamicsfromAmpretoEinstein(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2000),Worldsofflow:AhistoryofhydrodynamicsfromtheBernoullistoPrandtl(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2005),andAhistoryofopticsfromGreekantiquitytothenineteenthcentury(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2012).
LeoP.Kadanoff
isatheoreticalphysicistandappliedmathematicianwhohascontributedwidelytoresearchinthepropertiesofmatter,thedevelopmentofurbanareas,statisticalmodelsofphysicalsystems,andthedevelopmentofchaosinsimplemechanicalandfluidsystems.Hisbest-knowncontributionwasinthedevelopmentoftheconceptsofscaleinvarianceanduniversalityastheyareappliedtophasetransitions.Morerecently,hehasbeeninvolvedintheunderstandingofsingularitiesinfluidflow.
JohnByronManchak
isanAssistantProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofWashington.Hisprimaryresearchinterestsareinphilosophyofphysicsandphilosophyofscience.Hisresearchhasfocusedonfoundationalissuesingeneralrelativity.
TarunMenon
isagraduatestudentinPhilosophyattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego.Hisresearchinterestsareinthephilosophyofphysicsandmetaphysics,particularlytime,probability,andthefoundationsofstatisticalmechanics.Heisalsointerestedinformalepistemologyandthecognitivestructureofscience.
Contributors
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MargaretMorrison
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofToronto.Sheistheauthorofseveralarticlesonvariousaspectsofphilosophyofscienceincludingphysicsandbiology.SheisalsotheauthorofUnifyingscientifictheories:Physicalconceptsandmathematicalstructures(Cambridge,2000)andtheeditor(withMaryMorgan)ofModelsasmediators:Essaysonthephilosophyofnaturalandsocialscience(Cambridge,1999).
OliverPooley
isUniversityLecturerintheFacultyofPhilosophyattheUniversityofOxfordandaFellowandTutoratOrielCollege,Oxford.Heworksinthephilosophyofphysicsandinmetaphysics.Muchofhisresearchfocusesonthenatureofspace,time,andspacetime.
LauraRuetsche
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofMichigan.HerInterpretingquantumtheories:Theartofthepossible(Oxford,2011)aimstoarticulatequestionsaboutthefoundationsofquantumfieldtheorieswhoseanswersmightholdinterestforphilosophymorebroadlyconstrued.
SimonSaunders
isProfessorinthePhilosophyofPhysicsandFellowofLinacreCollegeattheUniversityofOxford.Hehasworkedinthefoundationsofquantumfieldtheory,quantummechanics,symmetries,thermodynamics,andstatisticalmechanicsandinthephilosophyoftimeandspacetime.HewasanearlyproponentoftheviewofbranchingintheEverettinterpretationasaneffectiveprocessbasedondecoherence.Heisco-editor(withJonathanBarrett,AdrianKent,andDavidWallace)ofManyworlds?Everett,quantumtheory,andreality(OUP2010).
ChrisSmeenk
isAssociateProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofWesternOntario.Hisresearchinterestsarehistoryandphilosophyofphysics,andseventeenth-centurynaturalphilosophy.
Contributors
SheldonR.Smith
isProfessorofPhilosophyatUCLA.Hehaswrittenarticlesonthephilosophyofclassicalmechanics,therelationshipbetweencausationandlaws,thephilosophyofappliedmathematics,andKant'sphilosophyofscience.
DavidWallace
studiedphysicsatOxfordUniversitybeforemovingintophilosophyofphysics.HeisnowTutorialFellowinPhilosophyofScienceatBalliolCollege,Oxford,anduniversitylecturerinPhilosophyatOxfordUniversity.Hisresearchinterestsincludetheinterpretationofquantummechanicsandthephilosophicalandconceptualproblemsofquantumfieldtheory,symmetry,andstatisticalphysics.
MarkWilson
isProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofPittsburgh,aFellowoftheCenterforPhilosophyofScience,andaFellowattheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences.Hismainresearchinvestigatesthemannerinwhichphysicalandmathematicalconcernsbecomeentangledwithissuescharacteristicofmetaphysicsandphilosophyoflanguage.HeistheauthorofWanderingsignificance:Anessayonconceptualbehavior(Oxford,2006).Heiscurrentlywritingabookonexplanatorystructure.Heisalsointerestedinthehistoricaldimensionsofthisinterchange;inthisvein,hehaswrittenonDescartes,Frege,Duhem,andWittgenstein.HealsosupervisestheNorthAmericanTraditionsSeriesforRounderRecords.
Introduction
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IntroductionRobertBattermanTheOxfordHandbookofPhilosophyofPhysicsEditedbyRobertBatterman
AbstractandKeywords
Thischapterdiscussesthethemeofthisbook,whichisaboutthephilosophyofphysics.Thebookprovidesanoverviewofthetopicsbeingstudiedbyphilosophersofphysics