Philosophy of physics. Space and Time
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
zbMATH Open document ID: 1245.83002
author: Tim W. Maudlin
publication date: 2012-07-19T00:00:00Z
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83-02
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 00A30
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 03A10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 00A79
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 70A05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83B05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83C57
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83A05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 85A05
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83-03
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 01A60
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 97M50
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 83C75
zbMATH DE Number: 6058307
zbMATH Keywords: space
zbMATH Keywords: time
MaRDI profile type: Publication
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title: Philosophy of physics. Space and Time
published in: Princeton Foundations of Contemporary Philosophy
review text: This is a book on that part of the philosophy of physics, which is related to the classical (i.e. non-quantum) structure of space and time. It should be mentioned that the philosophy of quantum theory is the subject of another book by the same author. For a further philosophical book by him see [\textit{T. Maudlin}, Truth and paradox. Solving the riddles. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2004; Zbl 1083.03002)].NEWLINENEWLINEIts mathematics is confined to give some few formulas like the special relativistic line element and the tensor form of the Einstein field equation, and several figures to elucidate the text like space-time diagrams for explaining the twin paradox and the Möbius strip to elucidate the existence of non-orientable surfaces.NEWLINENEWLINEHere are the topics of the book in more detail: Chapter 1 gives some history of the metaphysics of absolute space and time, chapter 2 deals with Newton's laws, chapter 3 is on Galilean space-time, chapter 4 is on special relativity, chapter 5 discusses the constancy of the speed of light and the related measurement problems, chapter 6 is on general relativity, and the final chapter 7 deals with the direction and the topology of time. The appendix presents some calculations related to special relativity.NEWLINENEWLINEWithin the text, many mathematical notions are explained in words, where mathematicians would have preferred to add a related sequence of definitions of the notions plus formulas, but probably his kind of presentation has its own readership.
reviewed by: Hans-Jürgen Schmidt
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 6058307