Nature of Contingency - Quantum Physics As Modal Realism

This book defends a radical new theory of contingency as a physical phenomenon. Drawing on the many-worlds approach, it argues that quantum theories are best understood as telling us about the space of genuine possibilities, rather than as telling us solely about actuality.

List of contents

• Introduction


• 1: Analyzing Modality


• 2: Diverging Everettian Quantum Mechanics


• 3: Emergent Chance


• 4: Laws of Nature


• 5: Indeterminacy


• 6: Anthropic Contingency


• Conclusion: An Expanding Reality

About the author

Alastair Wilson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University. He was President of the Society for Metaphysics of Science in 2017-18, Honorary Secretary of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science in 2018-19, and is currently leading FraMEPhys, a five-year project on metaphysical explanation in physics funded by the European Research Council. He works in the emerging subfield of metaphysics of science, a branch of philosophy which draws on contemporary scientific discoveries to help answer ancient questions about the underlying nature of reality.

Summary

This book defends a radical new theory of contingency as a physical phenomenon. Drawing on the many-worlds approach, it argues that quantum theories are best understood as telling us about the space of genuine possibilities, rather than as telling us solely about actuality.

Additional text

The Nature of Contingency is an invaluable source of how to properly do scientific metaphysics.

Product details

• Authors: Alastair Wilson, Alastair (Professor of Philosophy Wilson, Alastair (University of Birmingham) Wilson, Wilson Alastair
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.01.2020
• EAN: 9780198846215
• ISBN: 978-0-19-884621-5
• No. of pages: 232
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; PHILOSOPHY / Metaphysics, SCIENCE / Physics / Quantum Theory, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology, Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology, Quantum physics (quantum mechanics & quantum field theory), Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory)