Editors:
- A selection of contributions by leading experts on the physics of time.
- Addresses the most fundamental questions: what is time and how does it arise?
- Each chapter offers a new and different perspective on the role of time in the cosmos.
- Provides a comparison between philosophical and physical theories relating to time.
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Fundamental Theories of Physics (FTPH, volume 172)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
The concept of time has fascinated humanity throughout recorded history, and it remains one of the biggest mysteries in science and philosophy. Time is clearly one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe and thus a deeper understanding of nature at a fundamental level also demands a comprehension of time. Furthermore, the origins of the universe are closely intertwined with the puzzle of time: Did time emerge at the Big Bang? Why does the arrow of time ‘conspire’ with the order of the initial state of the universe?
This book addresses many of the most important questions about time: What is time, and is it fundamental or emergent? Why is there such an arrow of time, closely related to the initial state of the universe, and why do the cosmic, thermodynamic and other arrows agree? These issues are discussed here by leading experts, and each offers a new perspective on the debate. Their contributions delve into the most difficult research topic in physics, also describing the latest cutting edge research on the subject. The book also offers readers a comparison between the different outlooks of philosophy, physics and cosmology on the puzzle of time.
This volume is intended to be useful for research purposes, but most chapters are also accessible to a more general audience of scientifically educated readers looking for deeper insights.
Reviews
From the reviews:
“This excellent book presents several papers discussing the question of arrow of time from physics and philosophical point of view. If you are a philosopher or physicist I strongly recommend this book for you. … all papers are very accessible and captivate the reader’s attention at first look. So I promise you that you will get passionate about questions of time when you check this book. It is a really a masterpiece!” (Philosophy, Religion and Science Book Reviews, bookinspections.wordpress.com, December, 2013)Editors and Affiliations
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Dept. Physics & Astronomy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
Laura Mersini-Houghton
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Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany
Rudy Vaas
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Arrows of Time
Book Subtitle: A Debate in Cosmology
Editors: Laura Mersini-Houghton, Rudy Vaas
Series Title: Fundamental Theories of Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23259-6
Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-642-23258-9Published: 22 June 2012
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-43516-4Published: 12 June 2014
eBook ISBN: 978-3-642-23259-6Published: 30 May 2012
Series ISSN: 0168-1222
Series E-ISSN: 2365-6425
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VI, 222
Topics: Classical and Quantum Gravitation, Relativity Theory, Philosophy of Science, Quantum Field Theories, String Theory