Intro to the Philosophy of Physics - Paperback

by Marc Lange (Author)

This book combines physics, philosophy, and history in a radical new approach to introducing the philosophy of physics. It leads the reader through several central problems in the philosophy of physics by tracing their connections to a single issue: whether a cause must be spatiotemporally local to its effect, or whether action at a distance can occur

Back Jacket

This book combines physics, history, and philosophy in a radical new approach to introducing the philosophy of physics.

Accessible to readers with little background in physics or philosophy, this book allows the reader to wrestle with the metaphysical and conceptual problems that drove innovation in physics, from nineteenth-century electromagnetic field theory through relativity and quantum mechanics. Among the topics treated are locality, causality, and scientific explanation; relativity, energy, mass, and the reality of fields; and quantum metaphysics.

The book's engaging, non-technical style makes it ideal for those who want to go beyond the equations and discover what physics reveals about reality.

Author Biography

Marc Lange is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington. He is author of Natural Laws in Scientific Practice (2000).