Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Particle Metaphysics

A Critical Account of Subatomic Reality

  • Book
  • © 2007

Overview

Authors:
  1. Brigitte Falkenburg

    1. Institute of Philosophy, Universität Dortmund, Dortmund

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • A unique publication that attempts to answer the questions:
  • Are the particles of particle physics real?
  • If so, in what sense?
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: The Frontiers Collection (FRONTCOLL)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XVII
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Scientific Realism

    Pages 1-40

  3. Extending Physical Reality

    Pages 41-76

  4. Particle Observation and Measurement

    Pages 77-123

  5. Probing Subatomic Structure

    Pages 125-160

  6. Measurement and the Unity of Physics

    Pages 161-207

  7. Metamorphoses of the Particle Concept

    Pages 209-263

  8. Wave-Particle Duality

    Pages 265-319

  9. Subatomic Reality

    Pages 321-340

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 341-386
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

Metaphysics, with which, as fate would have it, I have fallen in love but from which I can boast of only a few favours, o?ers two kinds of advantage. The ?rst is this: it can solve the problems thrown up by the enquiry of mind, when it uses reason to spy after the more hidden properties of things. But hope is here all too often disappointed by the outcome. And, on this occasion, too, satisfaction has escaped our eager grasp. [...] The second advantage of metaphysics is more consonant with the nature of the human understanding. It consists [...] in knowing what relation the question has to empirical concepts, upon which all our judgements must at all times be based. To that extent metaphysics is a science of the limits of human reason.[...] Thus, the second advantage of metaphysics is at once the least known and the most important, although it is also an advantage which is only attained at a fairly late stage and after long experience. 1 Immanuel Kant The tradition of the particle concept goes back to traditional metaphysics and ancient philosophy. The idea that matter is made up of microscopic constituent parts stems from ancient atomism. At the very beginnings of modern physics, it was taken up by Galileo, Descartes, and Newton. Newton thought that there are atoms of matter and light, but with the methods of Newtonian mechanics and optics they were beyond the reach of experiments.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This work could, and should, change the direction of current philosophy of science. Accomplished physicist-philosopher Falkenburg … has constructed a significant metaphysical framework in which to evaluate the knowledge claims of empirical particle physics. … Urgently recommended to all philosophers of science and interested physicists. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (P. D. Skiff, CHOICE, Vol. v4 (3), November, 2007)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Philosophy, Universität Dortmund, Dortmund

    Brigitte Falkenburg

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Particle Metaphysics

  • Book Subtitle: A Critical Account of Subatomic Reality

  • Authors: Brigitte Falkenburg

  • Series Title: The Frontiers Collection

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-33732-4

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-540-33731-7Published: 12 March 2007

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-07029-7Published: 23 November 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-540-33732-4Published: 21 March 2007

  • Series ISSN: 1612-3018

  • Series E-ISSN: 2197-6619

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVIII, 386

  • Number of Illustrations: 30 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Particle and Nuclear Physics, Philosophy, general, Quantum Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation