Bryan – Page 8 – Soul Physics

Is philosophy fracturing, and what should we do about it?

By Bryan 27 February 2010 philosophy of physics

I was once a teaching assistant for John Earman’s “Introduction to Philosophy of Science” undergraduate course. On the very first day of class, John put this image on the overhead…

Rescher Prize for Contributions to Systematic Philosophy

By Bryan 24 February 2010 news

Photo Credit: John D. Norton The University of Pittsburgh has announced the establishment of the Nicholas Rescher Prize for Contributions to Systematic Philosophy. The details: Rescher Prize gold medal for…

A peek inside the mind of a mathematician

By Bryan 23 February 2010 mathematics

This is not new, but it’s one of the very best math videos on the inter-tubes. It’s designed by Bill Thurston, who’s known not only for his mathematical talent (winning him…

More Philosophy of Physics in the Blogosphere

By Bryan 21 February 2010 philosophy of physics

Readers of this blog may be interested in Chris Wüthrich’s new blog on the philosophy of physics, Taking up Spacetime. Chris is a philosopher of physics at UCSD, and fellow…

"An elementary particle ‘is’ an irreducible representation"

By Bryan 20 February 2010 philosophy of physics, quantum theory

A well-known particle physicist’s adage: Ever since the fundamental paper of Wigner on the irreducible representations of the Poincaré group, it has been a (perhaps implicit) deﬁnition in physics that an elementary particle…

By Bryan | Published on 3 April 2014 at 12:28 pm | Modified on 9 April 2014 at 8:59 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

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Bohmian Indeterminism →

By Bryan | Published on 3 April 2014 at 12:28 pm | Modified on 9 April 2014 at 8:59 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

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Bohmian mechanics is not just an "interpretation" of quantum mechanics. It is a radical revision. In this note, I'd like… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 21 June 2013 at 12:00 am | Modified on 25 March 2014 at 9:10 am | Comments: 17

Category: mathematics, philosophy of physics, quantum theory

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Philosophy and Physics in the Kadison-Singer Conjecture →

By Bryan | Published on 21 June 2013 at 12:00 am | Modified on 25 March 2014 at 9:10 am | Comments: 17

Category: mathematics, philosophy of physics, quantum theory

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A promising proof of the so-called Kadison-Singer conjecture was announced yesterday. Mathematicians are excited, because this conjecture is equivalent to… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 21 February 2012 at 11:02 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:47 pm | Comments: 3

Category: academia, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2012/02/philosophy-of-science-journals-and.html
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Philosophy of Science Journals and Elsevier →

By Bryan | Published on 21 February 2012 at 11:02 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:47 pm | Comments: 3

Category: academia, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2012/02/philosophy-of-science-journals-and.html
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Not Elsevier Elsevier Journal Publisher American Philosophical Quarterly University of Illinois Press Analysis Oxford University Press Australasian Journal of Philosophy… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 5 July 2010 at 10:10 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:47 pm | Comments: 5

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/07/sellars-and-philosophy-of-physics.html

Sellars and the Philosophy of Physics →

By Bryan | Published on 5 July 2010 at 10:10 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:47 pm | Comments: 5

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/07/sellars-and-philosophy-of-physics.html

In a letter to Chisholm, Wilfred Sellars wrote:Thus, while I agree with you that'. . .' means - - -… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 4 June 2010 at 11:56 am | Comments: 4

Category: conferences, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/06/even-more-philosophy-of-physics.html

Even more philosophy of physics conferences, Summer 2010 →

By Bryan | Published on 4 June 2010 at 11:56 am | Comments: 4

Category: conferences, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/06/even-more-philosophy-of-physics.html

If you know about the usual summer conferences and are still looking for more:Hannover: Philosophy of Physics in Germany -… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 30 March 2010 at 12:17 pm | Comments: 1

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/watch-lhc-status-updates-live.html

Watch the LHC status updates live →

By Bryan | Published on 30 March 2010 at 12:17 pm | Comments: 1

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/watch-lhc-status-updates-live.html

The Large Hadron Collider has finally begun collecting data for 7 TeV collisions. They've set up an interesting live feed,… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 22 March 2010 at 11:31 am | Comments: 2

Category: conferences, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/conferences-for-philosophers-of-physics.html

Conferences for Philosophers of Physics, Summer 2010 →

By Bryan | Published on 22 March 2010 at 11:31 am | Comments: 2

Category: conferences, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/conferences-for-philosophers-of-physics.html

April 30 - May 2. Washington, D.C. New Directions in Foundations of Physics. Speakers: Michel Janssen, Tony Duncan, Elise Crull,… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 15 March 2010 at 10:19 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/bob-batterman-moves-to-university-of.html

Bob Batterman moves to University of Pittsburgh →

By Bryan | Published on 15 March 2010 at 10:19 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/bob-batterman-moves-to-university-of.html

Bob Batterman, currently at the University of Western Ontario, has been hired by the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Philosophy. One more… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 10 March 2010 at 11:01 am | Comments: 8

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/1907-crisis-in-mathematical-physics.html

1907 Crisis in Mathematical Physics According to Poincaré →

By Bryan | Published on 10 March 2010 at 11:01 am | Comments: 8

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/03/1907-crisis-in-mathematical-physics.html

With 20-20 hindsight, we all agree that Einstein's discoveries of 1905 revolutionized nearly every area of fundamental physics. But what did scientists… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 27 February 2010 at 9:22 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:48 pm | Comments: 9

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/is-philosophy-fracturing-and-what.html

Is philosophy fracturing, and what should we do about it? →

By Bryan | Published on 27 February 2010 at 9:22 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:48 pm | Comments: 9

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/is-philosophy-fracturing-and-what.html

I was once a teaching assistant for John Earman's "Introduction to Philosophy of Science" undergraduate course. On the very first… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 21 February 2010 at 11:06 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/more-philosophy-of-physics-in.html

More Philosophy of Physics in the Blogosphere →

By Bryan | Published on 21 February 2010 at 11:06 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/more-philosophy-of-physics-in.html

Readers of this blog may be interested in Chris Wüthrich's new blog on the philosophy of physics, Taking up Spacetime.… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 20 February 2010 at 11:06 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/elementary-particle-is-irreducible.html

"An elementary particle ‘is’ an irreducible representation" →

By Bryan | Published on 20 February 2010 at 11:06 am | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/elementary-particle-is-irreducible.html

A well-known particle physicist's adage:Ever since the fundamental paper of Wigner on the irreducible representations of the Poincaré group, it has been… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 17 February 2010 at 9:35 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/unitary-operators-and-spacetime.html

Unitary operators and spacetime symmetries →

By Bryan | Published on 17 February 2010 at 9:35 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/unitary-operators-and-spacetime.html

In quantum mechanics, certain unitary operators have been understood since the time of Wigner in terms of spacetime symmetries. Why?The foundation… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 10 February 2010 at 6:14 pm | Comments: 5

Category: philosophy of physics, tutorial

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/get-started-reading-recent-classics-on.html

Get Started Reading Recent Classics on the Philosophy of Physics →

By Bryan | Published on 10 February 2010 at 6:14 pm | Comments: 5

Category: philosophy of physics, tutorial

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/get-started-reading-recent-classics-on.html

Which philosophy of physics books are relatively recent (say, post-1980), but still clear classics that every graduate student in the… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 3 February 2010 at 11:02 pm | Comments: 15

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/special-relativity-and-bell-theorems.html

Special Relativity and the Bell Theorems →

By Bryan | Published on 3 February 2010 at 11:02 pm | Comments: 15

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/02/special-relativity-and-bell-theorems.html

The Bell Theorems, together with a collection of experimental results (such as those of Aspect et al.), provide good statistical… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 10 January 2010 at 4:32 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/01/how-would-negative-mass-behave-in.html

How would negative mass behave in a gravitational field? →

By Bryan | Published on 10 January 2010 at 4:32 pm | Comments: 2

Category: philosophy of physics, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2010/01/how-would-negative-mass-behave-in.html

Answer: exactly the same way positive mass would.That's unusual, because if you try to push a negative mass, it behaves… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 6 December 2009 at 12:59 am | Comments: 16

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, thermodynamics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/12/ice-water-on-closed-timelike-curves.html

Ice water on closed timelike curves →

By Bryan | Published on 6 December 2009 at 12:59 am | Comments: 16

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, thermodynamics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/12/ice-water-on-closed-timelike-curves.html

Today, let's kick off our shoes and relax our standards for what counts as a reasonable spacetime. Let's talk about… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 5 October 2009 at 2:29 am | Comments: 3

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/10/visualize-wave-function.html

Visualize a Wave Function →

By Bryan | Published on 5 October 2009 at 2:29 am | Comments: 3

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/10/visualize-wave-function.html

Can you visualize a normalized wave function on spacetime?Let's try with a simple example. The role of a wave function… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 10 August 2009 at 2:13 pm | Comments: 5

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/08/galileos-manuscripts-still-learning.html

Galileo’s Manuscripts: Still Learning the Lesson →

By Bryan | Published on 10 August 2009 at 2:13 pm | Comments: 5

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/08/galileos-manuscripts-still-learning.html

When I studied history of science, my teachers -- especially Ken Manders and Paolo Palmieri -- hammered two principles like… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 11 July 2009 at 12:50 pm | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime, thermodynamics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/07/hyper-intelligent-fish-and-black-hole.html

Hyper-intelligent fish and black hole thermodynamics →

By Bryan | Published on 11 July 2009 at 12:50 pm | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, quantum theory, spacetime, thermodynamics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/07/hyper-intelligent-fish-and-black-hole.html

Bill Unruh's recent collection on black hole analogues begins,Deep beneath the great encircling seas of the Discworld lived a species… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 16 June 2009 at 1:35 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:55 pm | Comments: 6

Category: news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/06/penrose-in-pittsburgh.html

Penrose in Pittsburgh →

By Bryan | Published on 16 June 2009 at 1:35 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:55 pm | Comments: 6

Category: news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/06/penrose-in-pittsburgh.html

Roger Penrose came to Pittsburgh on Friday, presenting his new picture of cosmology. It was my first time seeing a… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 10 March 2009 at 11:00 am | Comments: 11

Category: philosophy of physics, spacetime, time

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/03/can-time-unfold-in-wrong-direction.html

Can Time Unfold in the Wrong Direction? →

By Bryan | Published on 10 March 2009 at 11:00 am | Comments: 11

Category: philosophy of physics, spacetime, time

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/03/can-time-unfold-in-wrong-direction.html

The unfolding of time is typically described as a sequence of spatial regions: one region of space gets realized, and… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 25 February 2009 at 10:23 pm | Comments: 4

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/did-all-calorists-believe-in-caloric.html

Did All Calorists Believe in Caloric? →

By Bryan | Published on 25 February 2009 at 10:23 pm | Comments: 4

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/did-all-calorists-believe-in-caloric.html

There is a lot of literature about how it is that important successes in science apparently stemmed from false belief.… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 11 February 2009 at 12:30 am | Comments: 1

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/another-unexpectedly-simple-failure-of.html

Another Unexpectedly Simple Failure of Determinism →

By Bryan | Published on 11 February 2009 at 12:30 am | Comments: 1

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/another-unexpectedly-simple-failure-of.html

Here's a simple Newtonian system that fails to determine a unique Cauchy evolution, in the spirit of Norton's dome. In… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 2 February 2009 at 8:49 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:48 pm | Comments: 10

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/possible-positions-on-passage-of-time.html

Possible Positions on the Passage of Time →

By Bryan | Published on 2 February 2009 at 8:49 pm | Modified on 6 June 2013 at 4:48 pm | Comments: 10

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/02/possible-positions-on-passage-of-time.html

Presentism The present exists; the past and the future do not.Block The past, present and future all exist.Growing Block The… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 23 January 2009 at 4:50 pm | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, news, philosophy of physics, quantum gravity

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/01/no-there-are-still-no-deadly-mini-black.html

No, there are STILL no deadly mini-black holes! →

By Bryan | Published on 23 January 2009 at 4:50 pm | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, news, philosophy of physics, quantum gravity

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/01/no-there-are-still-no-deadly-mini-black.html

Kentucky, who runs a fantastic blog over at arxivblog.org, has pointed out a new calculation about black hole creation here… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 19 January 2009 at 3:16 pm | Comments: 4

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, realism

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/01/group-structural-realism-part-4.html

Group Structural Realism (Part 4) →

By Bryan | Published on 19 January 2009 at 3:16 pm | Comments: 4

Category: philosophy of physics, quantum theory, realism

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2009/01/group-structural-realism-part-4.html

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4The Higher Structures Problem.My worry about structural realism starts with… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 1 October 2008 at 1:04 am | Comments: 4

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/09/map-of-cosmic-acceleration-literature.html

Map of the Cosmic Acceleration Literature →

By Bryan | Published on 1 October 2008 at 1:04 am | Comments: 4

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/09/map-of-cosmic-acceleration-literature.html

Ten years ago, the physics community came to agree that the expansion of the Universe is experiencing a positive acceleration.… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 6 July 2008 at 5:25 pm | Comments: 6

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/07/how-special-relativity-thwarts.html

How Special Relativity Thwarts Eternalism (And More) →

By Bryan | Published on 6 July 2008 at 5:25 pm | Comments: 6

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/07/how-special-relativity-thwarts.html

Image Credit: John D. Norton INTRODUCTION. The image above illustrates a well-known argument due to Rietdijk and Putnam, which says… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 27 June 2008 at 10:01 am | Comments: 7

Category: news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/update-on-lhc-still-no-mini-black-holes.html

Update on the LHC: Still No Mini-Black Holes →

By Bryan | Published on 27 June 2008 at 10:01 am | Comments: 7

Category: news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/update-on-lhc-still-no-mini-black-holes.html

The new CERN press release has finally come out, with the latest report on the (nearly-go-for-launch) Large Hadron Collider.No surprises,… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 25 June 2008 at 12:58 am | Comments: 53

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/call-for-suggestions-most-influential.html

Call for Suggestions: Greatest Physics Books of the Last 25 Years →

By Bryan | Published on 25 June 2008 at 12:58 am | Comments: 53

Category: philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/call-for-suggestions-most-influential.html

As Sean Carroll at Cosmic Variance has pointed out, Entertainment Weekly is weighing in on the Greatest Books of the… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 23 June 2008 at 2:26 pm | Modified on 25 March 2014 at 8:57 am | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, tutorial

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/get-started-learning-general-relativity.html
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Get Started Learning General Relativity Online →

By Bryan | Published on 23 June 2008 at 2:26 pm | Modified on 25 March 2014 at 8:57 am | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics, tutorial

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/get-started-learning-general-relativity.html
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General Relativity is the theory of gravitation introduced by Einstein in 1915, and developed throughout the 20th century. And you've… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 20 June 2008 at 1:13 pm | Comments: 3

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/could-you-have-defended-galileo.html

Could You Have Defended Galileo? →

By Bryan | Published on 20 June 2008 at 1:13 pm | Comments: 3

Category: history, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/could-you-have-defended-galileo.html

The Problem. When Galileo died in 1642, there were still two competing schools of free fall. The Galilean School upheld… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 12 June 2008 at 6:40 pm | Comments: 2

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/visualize-black-hole-at-event-horizon.html

Visualize a Black Hole at the Event Horizon →

By Bryan | Published on 12 June 2008 at 6:40 pm | Comments: 2

Category: general relativity, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/06/visualize-black-hole-at-event-horizon.html

This cute little animation shows the causal structure around a classical black hole in an interesting way. The perspective is… Read more… →
By Bryan | Published on 19 May 2008 at 11:00 am | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/05/solving-black-hole-information-paradox.html

Solving the Black Hole Information "Paradox" →

By Bryan | Published on 19 May 2008 at 11:00 am | Comments: 1

Category: general relativity, news, philosophy of physics

blogger_blog:www.soulphysics.org
blogger_permalink:/2008/05/solving-black-hole-information-paradox.html

In January, Abhay Ashtekar posted a short preprint in which he (along with two collaborators) proposed a new solution to… Read more… →