What does it mean ‘to exist’ in physics?
What does it mean ‘to exist’ in physics?
Author(s): Michał HellerSubject(s): Philosophy, Metaphysics, Special Branches of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Ontology
Published by: Copernicus Center Press
Keywords: existence; ontology in the sense of Quine; ontology of physics; Hartle-Hawking quantum creation model; nothingness in physics
Summary/Abstract: Physical theories give us the best available information about what there exists. Although physics is not ontology, it can be ontologically interpreted. In the present study, I propose to interpret physical theories à la Quine, i.e. not to speculate about what really exists, but rather to identify what a given physical theory presupposes that exists. I briefly suggest how Quine’s program should by adapted to this goal. To put the idea to the test, I apply it to the famous Hartle–Hawking model of the quantum creation of the universe from nothing, and try to discover what kind of nothingness the model presupposes. I also make some remarks concerning ontological commitments of the method of physics itself.
Journal: Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce
- Issue Year: 2018
- Issue No: 65
- Page Range: 9-22
- Page Count: 14
- Language: English