物理学史与哲学

The diagonal representation and optical equivalence theorem are the E. C. G. Sudarshan's mid 20th century adventures in non-classical optics. It basically deals with a quantum mechanical description of photons to explain the quantum…

Theoretical equivalence and duality are two closely related notions: but their interconnection has so far not been well understood. In this paper I explicate the contribution of a recent schema for duality to discussions of theoretical…

While physicalism requires only that a conscious state depends entirely on an underlying physical state, it is often assumed that consciousness is algorithmic and that conscious states can be copied, such as by copying or digitizing the…

We explore the different meanings of "quantum uncertainty" contained in Heisenberg's seminal paper from 1927, and also some of the precise definitions that were explored later. We recount the controversy about "Anschaulichkeit",…

Translation of Ludwig Boltzmann's paper "\"Uber die Eigenschaften monozyklischer und anderer damit verwandter Systeme" Crelles Journal 98. S. 68-94. 1884 u. 1885 from German into English. In this foundational paper Boltzmann introduced two…

This article presents a brief review of some historical and philosophical aspects of Einstein's 1917 paper 'Cosmological Considerations in the General Theory of Relativity', a landmark work that denoted the starting point of modern…

This history of the concept of fact reveals that the fact-oriented practices of German physicists and historians derived from common origins. The concept of fact became part of the German language remarkably late. It gained momentum only…

Dualities offer new possibilities for relating fundamentality and emergence. In particular, as is the aim of this chapter to show, it may happen that the relations of fundamentality and emergence between dual theories are inverted. In other…

Revised translation of Kaluza's historic 1921 paper, "Zum Unit\"atsproblem der Physik," on 5-dimensional spacetime, used to unify gravity and electromagnetism. This version is based, in part, on a 1984 translation provided by T. Muta, but…

We present a Bayesian analysis of the epistemology of analogue experiments with particular reference to Hawking radiation. First, we prove that such experiments can be confirmatory in Bayesian terms based upon appeal to 'universality…

Newtonian gravity can be regarded as a hypothetic-deductive system where the inverse square law is the starting point from which gravitational phenomena are deduced. This operational form of presenting gravity endorses problem solving and…

Johannes Kepler described the Copernican universe as consisting of a central, small, brilliant sun with its planetary system, all surrounded by giant stars. These stars were far larger than, and much dimmer than, the sun -- his De Stella…

Erwin Louis Hahn was one of the most innovative and influential physical scientists in recent history, impacting generations of scientists through his work in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), optics, and the intersection of these two…

This contribution inquires into Clausius' proposal that "the entropy of the world tends to a maximum.'" The question is raised whether the entropy of "the world" actually does have a maximum; and if the answer is "Yes!," what such states of…

I aim to clarify the physical content and significance of naturalness. Physicists' earliest understanding of naturalness, as an autonomy of scales (AoS) requirement provides the most cogent definition of naturalness and I will assert that…

Several philosophical problems arising from the physics of consciousness, including identity, duplication, teleportation, simulation, self-location, and the Boltzmann Brain problem, hinge on one of the most deeply held but unnecessary…

In the past, the Arabs in Al-Hara Zone used many stars to deduce the seasons of the year and also to deduce the roads, at that time this was the most convenient way to figure their ways and to know the time of the year they have to travel…

Time machines are predictions of Einstein's theory of general relativity and provide a myriad of unsolved paradoxes. Convincing and general arguments against time machines and their paradoxes are missing in physics and philosophy so far. In…

Recently, a preprint [arXiv:1901.08545] and a series of news announced that Torino, as the roman Augusta Taurinorum, was founded on 30 January 9 BC. The assumption is based on the coincidence of the Julian date, obtained by means of…

This article has been written, in a slightly different version, as an introductory chapter for the book collecting the essays of theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, philosopher Emanuele Severino, and theologian Piero Coda, and inspired…