The Philosophy and Physics of Duality
Overview
Paper Summary
This book gives a philosophical analysis of dualities in physics, understood as maps between theories. These maps are defined to be isomorphisms that preserve the values of the quantities and the dynamics. The authors discuss several well-known examples of dualities in statistical physics, quantum field theory, and string theory. They also discuss the implications of dualities for a variety of philosophical notions, such as realism, theoretical equivalence, and emergence.
Explain Like I'm Five
Dualities are like secret passages between different physics descriptions that say the same thing. They help physicists find answers to hard questions by changing them into easier ones.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Limitations
Rating Explanation
This book gives a philosophical analysis of dualities in physics. It is both historically informed, and philosophically sophisticated. The examples of dualities discussed are central and topical in modern theoretical physics, and the arguments presented are at the forefront of current philosophy of physics. The main limitation is that many of the key philosophical notions are not fully explicated, but taken to be primitive, and that the discussion could have benefitted from an exposition of some of the relevant mathematical theories.
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