Jane McDonnell

The Pythagorean World (eBook, PDF)

Why Mathematics Is Unreasonably Effective In Physics

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

This book explores the persistence of Pythagorean ideas in theoretical physics. It shows that the Pythagorean position is both philosophically deep and scientifically interesting. However, it does not endorse pure Pythagoreanism; rather, it defends the thesis that mind and mathematical structure are the grounds of reality.

The book begins by examining Wigner's paper on the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences. It argues that, whilst many issues surrounding the applicability of mathematics disappear upon examination, there are some core issues to do with the effectiveness of mathematics in fundamental physics which remain. The core issues are the existence of the laws of nature and our minds ability to fathom them, the use of formal mathematics in discovering things about the quantum world, the fact that deep mathematics is needed to describe fundamental physics, and the asymptotic nature of the quest for knowledge. These issues arethe focus of the book. The author seeks to explain them within a metaphysical framework that takes mind and mathematical structure as its fundamental principles. The framework - called quantum monadology - combines ideas from Leibnizian monadology, set theory, and consistent histories quantum theory.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland
• Seitenzahl: 394
• Erscheinungstermin: 17. November 2016
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783319409764
• Artikelnr.: 53032575

Autorenporträt

Jane McDonnell is Adjunct Research Associate in the Philosophy Department at Monash University, Australia. She has doctorates in both theoretical physics and philosophy and over twenty years' experience applying mathematics in academia and industry. She has authored or co-authored more than eighty technical papers in physics, mathematics, finance and philosophy.

Inhaltsangabe

1. Chapter 1: Introduction.- 2. Chapter 2: The Applicability of Mathematics.- 3. Chapter 3: The Role of Mathematics in Fundamental Physics.- 4. Chapter 4: One True Mathematics.- 5. Chapter 5: What Mathematics Is About.- 6. Chapter 6: Actuality from Potentiality.- 7. Chapter 7: Conclusion.

Rezensionen

"The present book provides a good overview of the philosophical subject matter concerning the interconnectedness of mathematics and science, in particular physics. The final part on quantum monadology is speculative, albeit thought-inspiring. ... The references throughout the text are useful for more in-depth knowledge on the individual topics and facilitate further research." (Michael M. Tung, Mathematical Reviews, December, 2017)