Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [philosophy-of-physics]

If your question is more physics and less philosophy, consider asking it on Physics.SE (possibly with the soft-question tag).

If your question is more physics and less philosophy, consider asking it on Physics.SE (possibly with the soft-question tag).

369 questions
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Interpretation of the butterfly effect

It is said that in certain circumstances, a tiny change, like the flap of a butterfly's wings, can lead to enormous changes, like a tornado somewhere. However, it should be clarified what "change" means. If the constantly changing state of the…
asmani
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A distinction between knowledge of laws of physics and the actual laws

What exactly is a law of physics? Suppose, for an hypothetical example, that high-energy light travels ever-so-faster than low-energy light. Then it would turn out that in fact light does not always travel in the same speed in a vacuum, so that…
user107952
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Removal of the distinction between the "initial condition" and the "laws of physics"?

Background and Question Here's something I was wondering: The (known) laws of physics can be formulated in such a way that one say: "initial condition" + "laws of physics" gives us a "final solution." I am thinking of something along the lines of an…
More Anonymous
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Why do we want to achieve Unified Theory of Everything?

The elctro-magnetism works fine. Gravity works fine. The two theories can live separately. At atomic scale the electromagnetism theory can be employed and at large scale gravity can be employed. My question is why are we trying to unite the theory…
Dheeraj Verma
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What is the difference between epistemic and ontological when it comes to special relativity?

I'm taking my first philosophy class and am writing my first paper on the notion of simultaneity, yet I find myself reading words such as 'epistemic' and 'ontological' which I'm finding very difficult to understand given the context. (I'm a maths…
sarahusher
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Inconsistency of Classical Electrodynamics

What is the status of the critique of Mathias Frisch's on the consistency of Classical Electrodynamics? And what exactly is his claim in succinct answer? Thanks!
MathematicalPhysicist
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Is identity an emergent concept?

In the world in which we live, a chair remains a chair - it does not turn into a table; and if there were two chairs in this room, I could distinguish one from the other and I would have no trouble in identifying which was which in the future so…
Mozibur Ullah
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Is 'collapse of the quantum state' conceptually misnamed?

Take the description of the collapse in Nature Loves to Hide, by physicist Shimon Malin: In this chapter we zero in on the mystery at the heart of Quantum Mechanics. 'The collapse of the quantum state'. The collapse is, whereby in an act of…
Mozibur Ullah
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How can a particle be at rest?

Newton conceived space as being: Absolute space, in its own nature, without regard to anything external, remains always similar and immovable. Relative space is some movable dimension or measure of the absolute spaces; which our senses determine by…
Mozibur Ullah
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What is the philosophical counterpart of gravity?

Say we take the position that everything in this Universe is dual, everything has an opposite (I prefer counterpart). Now physicists come along and show that matter is both particle and wave on a micro level of the Universe. What if we zoom out from…
Byebye
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Mathematical Platonism & QM

In mathematical Platonism, a mathematical cousain of Platonism proper numbers are seen as ideas that are outside of the phenomenal world. It's an obscure doctrine Consider, the mathematical apparatus describing QM; this uses a hilbert space of…
Mozibur Ullah
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How can space be at rest?

Newton conceived space as being: Absolute space, in its own nature, without regard to anything external, remains always similar and immovable. Relative space is some movable dimension or measure of the absolute spaces; which our senses determine by…
Mozibur Ullah
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Could someone please explain the measurement problem?

I'm a maths undergrad currently taking a philosophy of physics course. Having never done philosophy before in my life, I'm struggling to adhere to philosophical reasoning. I have never come across the measurement problem before, however from a…
Sarah Jayne
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On the axiomatization of physics; why do we think it's even possible?

As a disclaimer, I come from a pure math background, and I've only done a minimal amount of mathematical philosophy and epistemology, so the philosophy of physics is certainly not my strong suit. That being said, I came across Hilbert's Sixth…
user3002473
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Why is there no absolute rest?

It's clear and evident that no particular place in space is special, and nor any particular direction. It is also true (ignoring relativity) that there is no absolute rest; we cannot determine whether a particle is at rest. Is this tied to the fact…
Mozibur Ullah
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