Questioning the Foundations of Physics
Which of Our Fundamental Assumptions Are Wrong?
Editors: Aguirre, Anthony, Foster, Brendan, Merali, Zeeya (Eds.)
Free Preview- Published in cooperation with the renowned physics "think-tank" Foundational Questions Institute, FQXi
- Specially reworked versions of the most exciting essays of over 270 submissions
- A book that will appeal both to hobby scientists and to active theoretical physicists seeking inspired new directions
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- About this book
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The essays in this book look at way in which the fundaments of physics might need to be changed in order to make progress towards a unified theory. They are based on the prize-winning essays submitted to the FQXi essay competition “Which of Our Basic Physical Assumptions Are Wrong?”, which drew over 270 entries.
As Nobel Laureate physicist Philip W. Anderson realized, the key to understanding nature’s reality is not anything “magical”, but the right attitude, “the focus on asking the right questions, the willingness to try (and to discard) unconventional answers, the sensitive ear for phoniness, self-deception, bombast, and conventional but unproven assumptions.”
The authors of the eighteen prize-winning essays have, where necessary, adapted their essays for the present volume so as to (a) incorporate the community feedback generated in the online discussion of the essays, (b) add new material that has come to light since their completion and (c) to ensure accessibility to a broad audience of readers with a basic grounding in physics.
The Foundational Questions Institute, FQXi, catalyzes, supports, and disseminates research on questions at the foundations of physics and cosmology, particularly new frontiers and innovative ideas integral to a deep understanding of reality, but unlikely to be supported by conventional funding sources.
- About the authors
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Anthony Aguirre
Brendan Foster
Zeeya Merali
- Table of contents (19 chapters)
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Introduction
Pages 1-4
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The Paradigm of Kinematics and Dynamics Must Yield to Causal Structure
Pages 5-16
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Recognising Top-Down Causation
Pages 17-44
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On the Foundational Assumptions of Modern Physics
Pages 45-60
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The Preferred System of Reference Reloaded
Pages 61-86
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Table of contents (19 chapters)
- Download Preface 1 PDF (41.6 KB)
- Download Sample pages 2 PDF (214.9 KB)
- Download Table of contents PDF (54.5 KB)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
-
- Book Title
- Questioning the Foundations of Physics
- Book Subtitle
- Which of Our Fundamental Assumptions Are Wrong?
- Editors
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- Anthony Aguirre
- Brendan Foster
- Zeeya Merali
- Series Title
- The Frontiers Collection
- Copyright
- 2015
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Copyright Holder
- Springer International Publishing Switzerland
- eBook ISBN
- 978-3-319-13045-3
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-319-13045-3
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-3-319-13044-6
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-3-319-38353-8
- Series ISSN
- 1612-3018
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- VIII, 274
- Number of Illustrations
- 24 b/w illustrations
- Topics
