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Imagining the Tenth Dimension: A New Way of Thinking About Time and Space
Rob Bryanton Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1425103804 Release Date: 2007-01-05 |
Product Description
Reality, today's physicists tell us, is created by the vibrations of exquisitely tiny superstrings in ten spatial dimensions. Ten dimensions? Most of us have barely gotten used to the idea that there are four.Using simple geometry and an easygoing writing style, author Rob Bryanton starts with the lower dimensions that we are all familiar with, then uses those concepts to build one layer upon another, ultimately arriving at a way of imagining the tenth dimension.
Part scientific exploration, part philosophy, this unique book touches upon such diverse topics as dark matter, Feynman's "sum over paths", the quantum observer, and the soul. It is aimed at anyone interested in leading-edge theories about cosmology and the nature of reality, but it is not about mainstream physics. Rather, Imagining the Tenth Dimension is a mind-expanding exercise that could change the way you view this incredible universe in which we live.
Customer Reviews:
Might be worth an afternoon of your time.......2007-06-06
This is not about dimensions at all.......2007-06-02
It was a great purchase of both the item and the 'sender'!.......2007-04-01
Excellent structured bridge between geometry and metaphysics.......2007-03-23
Imagining the Tenth Dimension.......2007-03-20
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Thinking about Consciousness
David Papineau Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0199271151 |
Book Description
Consciousness is widely regarded as an intractable mystery. Many scientists and philosophers view it as an enigma whose solution waits on some unforeseeable theoretical breakthrough. David Papineau argues that this pessimism is quite misplaced. Consciousness seems mysterious, not because of any hidden essence, but only because we humans think about it in a special way. Thinking about Consciousness analyses this special mode of thought in detail, and exposes the ways in which it can lead us into confusions about consciousness. At the heart of the book lies a distinction between two ways of thinking about conscious states. We humans can think about conscious states materially, as normal items inhabiting the material world. But we can also think about them phenomenally, as items that feel a certain way. Dualists hold that this phenomenal mode of thought describes some special non-material reality. But David Papineau argues that it is invalid to move from a distinctive phenomenal mode of thought to a distinct non-material reality. By carefully analysing the structure of phenomenal concepts, he is able to expose the flaws in the standard arguments for dualism, while at the same time explaining why dualism can seem so intuitively compelling. Thinking about Consciousness also casts a new light on contemporary scientific research into consciousness. Much of this research is motivated by the apparently 'hard problem' of identifying the referents of phenomenal concepts. David Papineau argues that such research promises less than it can deliver. Once phenomenal concepts are recognised for what they are, many of the questions posed by consciousness research turn out to be irredeemably vague. This is the first book to provide a detailed analysis of phenomenal concepts from a materialist point of view. By recognising the importance of phenomenal thinking, David Papineau is able to place a materialist account of consciousness on a firm foundation, and to lay many traditional problems of consciousness to rest.Customer Reviews:
Great philosophy.......2004-03-28
Papineau argues for materialism. Not many take the time to do that, nowdays. But it is true many people are still dualists, and those who are materialists do not know how to really defend their views. Other materialists are still thinking on dualist ways, and others cannot decide between token or type identities, fuctionalism, representioalist, HOT, materialist theories. Papineau sticks with token identity. This is the simplest and most plausible view. PHENOMENAL PROPERTIES ARE IDENTICAL TO MATERIAL PROPERTIES. end of story. Papineau has here avoided a lot of baggage. The argument? the same anti-epiphenomenalists have been making. All physical causes are caused by physical things. Phenomenal states have causes, and are caused. Therefore, phenomenal states are material things. (This is not exactly how papienau puts it, but its good enough for me).
Papineau does go throught the usual job of demolishing the knowledge argument, the zombie argument, and the explanatory gap argument. NOthing very new here. Mary learns something new not because phenomenal states are nonphysical but because you cannot cause a brain state to appear (which is identical to the phenomenal state) by simply knowing things. You have to experience them. Kripke was wrong, because although identities are necesary, this does not mean that by knowing one side of the identity you will know all there is to know about the property in question. Conceivability does not entail possibility, because there exist counter-examples, in the theory of names. You can conceive of impossible things if your concepts are different. And Papienau argues for conceptual dualism. Phenomenal concepts are different from material concepts, even if they refer to a single material property. Phenomenal concepts, however, refer directly to those properties.
Another novelty is that the book is actually about how we THINK about consciousness, and not consicousness itself. So, Papineau tells us how exactly to understand phenomenal concepts. Here I have some objections. What is the difference between phenomenal concepts and the states they refer to? Papineau first takes conclusions about one thing to argue about the other, but on other occasions seems to claim arguments do not apply to both the concept and the state. It seems strange to say that because concepts are indeterminate, then the states refered to will also be indeterminate. Papienau needs to be careful to distinguish when he is arguing about the concepts ore the states refered to, but other than that, the way he constructed phenomenal concepts seems to me to be a right way to argue for a theory of phenomenal consciousness.
Ppaineau strikes on the central problem in consicousness studies: why does materialism seem to leave something out? why is there a hard problem of consicousness, but not a hard problem of heat, or energy or water? why is matter correlated with feelings at all? Simple, says Papineau. Because intuitions are the greatest barriers that oppose philosophical advance. And people simply have the intuition that matter is simply not all there is to consciousness. Materialism seems to leave somehting out, like the explanatory-gap theorists claim. Ppaineau does not show them wrong, but shows them 2 ways one can get rid of the intuition that mind and brain are separate. First, identities need no explanation. Mind and brain are identical to one another, and it is not necesary to explain why this is so. And second, the intuition is fueled by a fallacy. The fallacy of concluding that mind and brain are separate, just because when you think of consicousness it feels one way, and when you think of matter it feels another way. Thinking of qualia brings the qualia to mind, but thinking of gray neurons does not, so one must conclude they are not identical. But this is a fallacy, the antipathetic-fallacy. Thinking of something does not have to make that thing happen. Just like in the response to the knowledge argument.
Papineau argues also that scientific studies of consicousness are doomed to failure, becuase the properties of phenomenal concepts makes it indeterminate to decide of wether a creature is conscious, or of wether it is the function or the matter composing the system that is identical to the phenomenal state. Here I think Papineau goes too far. His points are that since verbal reports are the primary evidence for consciousness research, and becuase we cannot decide between exactly what level of explanation is right (atoms, molecules, chemicals, neurons, electricity?), and because pehnomenal concepts are vauge, then sicence is in trouble. But this is not a principled matter. All you have to do is find a non-verbal way to reach criterions of consicousness, and indeed researchers are looking for those methodologies. And I believe it is in principle possible to decide between levels of explanation. For example, you could decide, in principle, wether it is the matter a brain is composed of or the way it is organized that is identical to a phenomenal state like this: take a subject, replace all his neurotransmitters for agonists witht he same proportions, and ask him to make a discrimination (between color plates of gradual hue changes, or memory of a color). Next, restore the subjects brain to normallity, and ask him to make another discrimination. If the discriminations are identical, then it is the orgainization, and not the matter itself (for a chemical is not materially identical, but functional identical to its agonist), that is the material property identical to the phenomenal property.
Or why not simply change the phenomenal concepts? Then the empirical research of the material basis of consicousness would continue problem-free. Amazingly thought-provoking book, inspite of my objections. Required reading.
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Thinking about Physics (Princeton Paperbacks)
Roger G. Newton Manufacturer: Princeton University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0691095531 |
Amazon.com
It takes a certain daring to challenge the views of Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman on purely scientific grounds--and great skill to make that challenge accessible to a general audience. Roger Newton does just that in Thinking About Physics, a book suited to readers with undergraduate-level training in the physical sciences and mathematics, which he deems "the only language capable of describing nature unambiguously." In his survey of modern physics, Newton examines some of the assumptions underlying the ways in which we think about the world. He argues, briefly, that the insistence on the primacy of the particle discounts the more important quantum field from which particles issue--and, he adds, understanding that field may one day yield a quantum geometry of space-time. Among other topics, Newton guides his readers through current theories about the directionality of time ("nature without a universal causal arrow of time," he writes, "could not be orderly," inasmuch as causes have to precede effects); examines models of symmetry and "supersymmetry"; and considers how theories are made, emphasizing the role of probabilistic reasoning in shaping hypotheses and explanations. Joining elegant equations and readable prose, Newton's overview is sure to interest students of modern science. --Gregory McNameeBook Description
Physical scientists are problem solvers. They are comfortable "doing" science: they find problems, solve them, and explain their solutions. Roger Newton believes that his fellow physicists might be too comfortable with their roles as solvers of problems. He argues that physicists should spend more time thinking about physics. If they did, he believes, they would become even more skilled at solving problems and "doing" science. As Newton points out in this thought-provoking book, problem solving is always influenced by the theoretical assumptions of the problem solver. Too often, though, he believes, physicists haven't subjected their assumptions to thorough scrutiny. Newton's goal is to provide a framework within which the fundamental theories of modern physics can be explored, interpreted, and understood.
"Surely physics is more than a collection of experimental results, assembled to satisfy the curiosity of appreciative experts," Newton writes. Physics, according to Newton, has moved beyond the describing and naming of curious phenomena, which is the goal of some other branches of science. Physicists have spent a great part of the twentieth century searching for explanations of experimental findings. Newton agrees that experimental facts are vital to the study of physics, but only because they lead to the development of a theory that can explain them. Facts, he argues, should undergird theory.
Newton's explanatory sweep is both broad and deep. He covers such topics as quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, field theory, thermodynamics, the role of mathematics in physics, and the concepts of probability and causality. For Newton the fundamental entity in quantum theory is the field, from which physicists can explain the particle-like and wave-like properties that are observed in experiments. He grounds his explanations in the quantum field.
Although this is not designed as a stand-alone textbook, it is essential reading for advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and researchers. This is a clear, concise, up-to-date book about the concepts and theories that underlie the study of contemporary physics. Readers will find that they will become better-informed physicists and, therefore, better thinkers and problem solvers too.
Customer Reviews:
Carry-on concepts in modern physical theories for autodidact.......2004-03-21
This book is what some would call popular physics but I think is broader and deeper than such a simple categorization. From the outset of 'Thinking about Physics' (TaP), Newton offers that answers to issues in thinking about questions of physics are subject to debate and humbly advises us not to accept his word without question. He doesn't lie out the solutions offered over the years, with all the pros and cons (and yet he ultimately gives his 2 cents), but suggests we use his arguments as starting points for our own thinking.
I found a good overall summary in the beginning of this work: ?This book consists of more or less independent essays on various general topics found in physics, whose common thread appears in the pervasiveness of probabilistic approaches and the central role played by mathematics, with the quantum theory of fields as the most basic description of reality.?
In the Preface Newton admits a '...disagreement with a number of prominent physicists such as Feynman & Heisenberg, who, at the most fundamental level, give primacy to the particle concept.'
As in Philip R. Wallace's Paradox Lost, Newton makes the argument that the supposed paradoxes in interpretations of theoretical conceptions of physical phenomenon have a '...linguistic source, stemming from the use of the concept of particles and waves.' In contrast to Paradox Lost, he regards quantum fields '...as the basic entity, with 'particles'-possessing great intuitive appeal but circumscribed utility-appearing as phenomena produced by the field.'
His Introduction and Chapter 1-Theories can be seen as a condensed version of his book 'The Truth of Science' and, at the same time, an expansion of a great layman's treatment in similar chapters of his title 'What Makes Nature Tick?' (WMNT) The latter book is a less mathematically technical, more popular look at subjects conspicuously similar to TaP. It is in these two chapters where he addresses some challenges to a popular and historical philosophy of science. As an antidote to philosophical general assumptions, loose arguments and possible misinterpretations apparent in other popular publications, Newton places common sense definitions of experiments, theoretical understanding and explanation on solid ontological ground leaving us with a sense of complete logical satisfaction. He also discusses the necessity and great utility of using conceptual analogies in describing certain phenomenon in physical theory but makes the usual warnings of their limits and potential misleading.
The second chapter talks about the state of physical systems and phase correlations in classical & quantum mechanics. The state vector, density operator, and probabilities are nicely brought to light.
Chapter 3 is a sweet treatment of the role, beauty and & power of mathematics. This is an elegant and technical expansion of the chapter in ?What Makes Nature Tick?? (WMNT)
Chapter 4, Quantum Fields and Particles, is fairly technical but accessible with the persistent enthusiasm of this physics layman. I return time and again to this chapter to gain understanding of aspects for which I had ignorance in previous readings.
In Symmetry in Physics (ch5) Newton takes us through Parity, Group Theory in Particle Physics, and Field Theory. I chose to prepare for this chapter by reading the lighter chapter on Symmetry in WMNT. Yet another example of the nice complementary correlation between the two works.
The last three chapters are Causality and Probability, Quantum Mechanics and Reality, and Arrows of Time. These titles are sufficiently self-explanatory for the purposes of this review and exist as final examples of the technical expansion that may be explored in the corresponding chapters of WMNT.
The book concludes with an Epilog where the author asks whether we are able to distinguish relevant characteristics of our perception of physical nature and summarizes the three broad essentials this book was meant to identify: quantum fields and the explanatory machinery which provide the necessarily mathematical language to describe nature unambiguously - causality and probability.
The Further Reading section in the rear of the book is nicely broken down by the corresponding chapters with the suggested reading listed in the usual manner. A great resource! Finally, a complete bibliography and helpful index conclude the book. Last and certainly least, I ran across strange sentence early in my reading of TaP, '...it would take a very large hole in the side of a well-constructed skyscraper to make the building collapse.' The book was written in January 2000. Being serious about physics, I obviously don?t attribute this to conspiracy but do find the coincidence uncanny.
BOTTOM LINE ON THE BOOK ? CHALLENGING, GREAT READ FOR THE HUNGRY AUTODIDACT.
Best regards to the author and the lay reader.
IndiAndy
the author's personal philosophy.......2000-03-31
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Thinking about Causes: From Greek Philosophy to Modern Physics (Pitt Konstanz Phil Hist Scienc)
Manufacturer: University of Pittsburgh Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0822943093 |
Book Description
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Thinking about Creation: Eternal Torah and Modern Physics
Andrew Goldfinger Manufacturer: Jason Aronson ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover ASIN: 0765760428 |
Book Description
Six days or fifteen billion years? At first glance, the biblical and scientific accounts of the creation of the universe seem quite different. How then can there be modern twentieth century people who respect the methods and conclusions of science, yet take the Bible to be literally correct? The answer is given in this book. Dr. Andrew Goldfinger is a physicist by profession and a chasidic Jew by commitment. He takes the reader through the story of creation from both viewpoints.Customer Reviews:
An approach to the relationship between Religion and Science.......2006-01-27
Hocus Pocus.......2005-03-20
A must read!.......2002-10-07
He is well able to comment on both Torah and science. He is a practicing Orthodox Jew (Chassidic actually) and lives Judaism every minute of his life (ours is not a religion that allows you to compartmentalize your religious convictions and the rest of your life). He is also an accomplished physicist (he works at Johns Hopkins as a researcher).
This book is a joy to read. A book that is heavy on physics has the potential to be very dry and boring (at least for me), good bedtime reading, but I find this one to be very interesting. No surprise since I've heard Dr. Goldfinger lecture and I've met him (I sometimes attend the same synagogue as he) and found him to be an extememly warm person. I am looking forward to his next book whenever it comes out.
Interesting; a triple, not a home run........2000-08-13
In my opinion the definitive work in this area remains Gerald Schroeder's Genesis and the Big Bang.
A very enjoyable and enlightening book!.......2000-03-30
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Is physics turning into philosophy?(THINKING ABOUT SCIENCE) : An article from: Skeptical Inquirer
Massimo Pigliucci Manufacturer: Thomson Gale ProductGroup: Book Binding: Digital ASIN: B000FVRW1Y Release Date: 2006-05-30 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Skeptical Inquirer, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2006. The length of the article is 830 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Books:
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