Scientific Realism in Particle Physics: A Causal Approach

by Matthias Egg

Overview

Does particle physics really describe the basic constituents of the material world or is it just a useful tool for deriving empirical predictions? This book proposes a novel answer to that question, emphasizing the importance of causal reasoning for the justification of scientific claims. It thereby responds to general worries about scientific realism as well as to more specific challenges stemming from the interpretation of quantum physics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783110383515
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Publication date:	08/19/2014
Series:	Epistemische Studien / Epistemic Studies , #29
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	863 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Matthias Egg, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Table of Contents

Preface v

Part I The Recent Debate on Scientific Realism

1 Scientific Realism and Its Relation to Common Sense 3

1.1 Key Arguments Surrounding Scientific Realism 4

1.2 Scientific Realism without Common Sense Realism? 13

2 Entity Realism 19

2.1 From Theories to Entities 20

2.2 Is Manipulability an Adequate Criterion of Reality? 23

2.3 From Manipulation to Explanation 28

3 NOA and the Vices of the Realism Debate 33

3.1 In Defense of Interpretation 33

3.2 The Principle of Fairness 40

3.3 NOA, Entity Realism, and the Homely Line 44

Part II Causal Realism

4 Causal vs. Theoretical Warrant 49

4.1 Criterion 1: Non-redundancy 50

4.2 Criterion 2: Material Inference 54

4.3 Criterion 3: Empirical Adequacy 59

4.4 Causal Realism's Advantages over Entity Realism 62

5 Causal Warrant for the Neutrino: A Case Study 67

5.1 Bohr and Pauli on Beta Decay 67

5.2 The Impact of Fermi's Theory and the Need for Direct Detection 69

5.3 The Detection of the Neutrino by Reines and Cowan 72

6 The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives 79

6.1 Previous Attempts to Undermine the PUA 80

6.2 Causal Knowledge as a Criterion for the Realist 85

6.3 Causal Realism, Unconceived Alternatives, and the Atomic Hypothesis 92

III The Quantum Challenge

7 Causal Realism in the Context of Bell-Type Experiments 105

7.1 Bell-Experiments: Causal Warrant for Superluminal Causation 105

7.2 Causal Realism and Underdetermination in Quantum Mechanics 114

7.3 Some Experimental Constraints on Explanations for EPR 122

8 Delayed-Choice Experiments and the Metaphysics of Entenglement 137

8.1 Delayed Choice in the Double-Slit Experiment 139

8.2 The Quantum Eraser 140

8.3 Delayed-Choice Entanglement Swapping 145

9 Particle Physics without Particles? On Causal Realism in Quantum Field Theory 149

9.1 Against Localizability: Malament's Theorem and Its Generalizations 149

9.2 Against Countability: Unruh Effect and Interacting Fields 154

9.3 Defending Localizability and Countability 161

9.4 Concluding Remarks on Realism, Fundamentalism, and QFT 169

Bibliography 175

Index 187