物理学史与哲学

Dennis Sciama argued that the existence of life depended on many quantities, the fundamental constants, so in a random universe life should be highly unlikely. However, without full knowledge of these constants, his argument implies a…

We discuss the influential role of Niels Bohr's work in the anti-realist realist re-foundation of physics that took place during the 20th century. We will focus in how, developing the modern co-relational matrix of scientific understanding,…

Srinivasa Ramanujan was a great self-taught Indian mathematician, who died a century ago, at the age of only 32, one year after returning from England. Among his numerous achievements is the assignment of sensible, finite values to…

We investigate the fate of determinism in general relativity (GR), comparing the philosopher's account with the physicist's well-posed initial value formulations. The fate of determinism is interwoven with the question of what it is for a…

Many macroscopic physical processes are known to occur in a time-directed way despite the apparent time-symmetry of the known fundamental laws. A popular explanation is to postulate an unimaginably atypical state for the early universe -- a…

Many have suggested that the transformation standardly referred to as 'time reversal' in quantum theory is not deserving of the name. I argue on the contrary that the standard definition is perfectly appropriate, and is indeed forced by…

I consider two usages of the expression "gauge theory". On one, a gauge theory is a theory with excess structure; on the other, a gauge theory is any theory appropriately related to classical electromagnetism. I make precise one sense in…

There is a venerable position in the philosophy of space and time that holds that the geometry of spacetime is conventional, provided one is willing to postulate a "universal force field". Here we ask a more focused question, inspired by…

I offer one possible explanation of why inertial and gravitational mass are equal in Newtonian gravitation. I then argue that this is an example of a kind of explanation that is not captured by standard philosophical accounts of scientific…

In the first decade of the 20th century, the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, founded in 1905, created a modern and well-equipped Physics Institute. In this paper we study the impact that this initiative had on the modernisation of physics…

A brief philosophical inquiry into the foundations of quantum mechanics is presented here. In particular, the direct relationship between granularity, discontinuity, and the presence of quantum effects will be argued. Furthermore, an…

The concept of mass was introduced as a mathematical abstraction and unifying principle in physics by Newton in the 17th century, and calibrated on a Solar System scale by Cavendish at the end of the 18th century. In the 19th century, this…

This paper introduces a powerful new tool for topological redescription, the ISE Methodology. These tools allow us to remove and replace a theory's topological underpinnings just as easily as we can switch between different coordinate…

The paper is based on a talk given to celebrate {\O}rsted's discovery of electromagnetism in 1820. It gives a brief account of {\O}rsted's life and work, before using the evidence of articles on electricity and magnetism in the…

Can free agency be compatible with determinism? Compatibilists argue that the answer is yes, and it has been suggested that the computer science principle of "computational irreducibility" sheds light on this compatibility. It implies that…

Recent work on the status of astrophysical modeling in the wake of quantum gravity indicates that a 'fauxrizon' (portmanteau of 'faux horizon'), such as is relevant to understanding astrophysical black holes according to the fuzzball…

We ground the asymmetry of causal relations in the internal physical states of a special kind of open and irreversible physical system, a causal agent. A causal agent is an autonomous physical system, maintained in a steady state, far from…

Alexander Friedmann and Georges Lema\^itre are undoubtedly the real fathers of Big Bang cosmologies. In this article I study the influences their work underwent due to some religious as well as anti-religious ideas. During his career…

By the twelfth century, northern European scholars gradually embraced Arabic innovations in science and technology. England naturally developed into a significant centre of the new learning in western Europe. Hereford, and specifically its…

A brief history of the development of surface detectors for the study of the high-energy cosmic rays is presented. The paper is based on an invited talk given at UHECR2022 held in LAquila, October 2022. In a complementary talk, P Sokolsky…