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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Quantum physics (quantum mechanics)
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Identity in Physics - A Historical, Philosophical, and Formal Analysis (Hardcover, New)
Loot Price: R2,764
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Identity in Physics - A Historical, Philosophical, and Formal Analysis (Hardcover, New)
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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Can quantum particles be regarded as individuals, just like books,
tables and people? According to the 'received' view - articulated
by several physicists in the immediate aftermath of the quantum
revolution - quantum physics itself tells us they cannot: quantum
particles, unlike their classical counterparts, must be regarded as
'non-individuals' in some sense. However, recent work has indicated
that this is not the whole story and that the theory is also
consistent with the position that such particles can be taken to be
individuals, albeit at a metaphysical price. Drawing on
philosophical accounts of identity and individuality, as well as
the histories of both classical and quantum physics, the authors
explore these two alternative metaphysical packages. In particular,
they argue that if quantum particles are regarded as individuals,
then Leibniz's famous Principle of the Identity of Indiscernibles
is in fact violated. Recent discussions of this conclusion are
analysed in detail and, again, the costs involved in saving the
Principle are carefully considered. Taking the alternative package,
the authors deploy recent work in non-standard logic and set theory
to indicate how we can make sense of the idea that objects can be
non-individuals. The concluding chapter suggests how these results
might then be extended to quantum field theory. Identity in Physics
brings together a range of work in this area and further develops
the authors' own contributions to the debate. Uniquely, as the
title indicates, it situates this work in the appropriate formal,
historical, and philosophical contexts.
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