Dean Rickles, ed.: The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics.
Kidd, Ian James
Dean Rickles, ed.
The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics.
Aldershot: Ashgate 2008.
395 pages
US$124.95 (cloth ISBN 978-0-7546-5518-3)
Philosophy of science has, for much of its history, been largely
occupied with the philosophy of physics. Although other sub-disciplinary
fields have appeared, such as the philosophies of biology and--more
recently--chemistry, few would deny that it is the physical sciences
which continue to occupy the attention of the majority of philosophers
of science. Due to this historical presence, argues Dean Rickles, a sort
of schism has emerged within philosophy of physics, between the
over-familiar problems and issues which are the staple of undergraduate
and introductory texts, and the abundant literature in more advanced
contemporary philosophy of physics research. In response to this lacuna,
this new Ashgate Companion aims at bridging 'the middle ground
between absolute beginner and consummate professional', and in so
doing 'providing a way in to contemporary debates' (1).
Rickles' avowed aim is to provide a textbook suitable for an
advanced undergraduate and postgraduate readership, which could serve as
a comprehensive introduction to contemporary philosophy of physics,
especially emerging areas of research such as quantum gravity and
quantum computation. Since Rickles' aspiration is to provide an
effective textbook in philosophy of physics, my review will focus on its
pedagogical utility, and assess it on those terms.
The first chapter is Rickles' 'Advancing the Philosophy
of Physics'. It provides a programmatic overview of the aims and
concerns of philosophy of physics, especially on the question--always
central to philosophy of science--of its relation to the science (and
scientists) that it studies. Like most philosophers of science, Rickles
emphasizes that philosophy of physics is not simply 'ontological
book-keeping' or 'sideline commentary' for physicists,
but an autonomous discipline whose critical function is to examine the
assumptions, theories, methods, and interpretations of physicists. In
other areas, such as quantum information theory, philosophers of physics
can enjoy a more constructive role, contributing to the 'nuts and
bolts' of ongoing research; especially since many philosophers of
physics were, or are, practicing physicists, as has so often been the
case in the history of philosophy of science. Indeed, Rickles endorses
Einstein, Heisenberg, and Bohr's conviction that 'physics and
philosophy of physics are not really so different' (6). Much of
this book can be profitably seen as an attempt to play out this claim.
The four main chapters are topical, covering quantum mechanics,
statistical mechanics, quantum information theory, and quantum gravity.
David Wallace's 'Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics'
addresses the most familiar area of philosophy of physics, one which has
subjected to philosophical scrutiny since the early last century,
especially in the guise of the measurement problem. Surveying a wealth
of recent research, Wallace provides a concise history of the
measurement problem, and its subsequent treatment. There is a
particularly engaging discussion of hidden variables. However,
navigating his chapter, and his arguments, requires of readers a
sufficiently confident and dauntless attitude towards mathematical
formalisms and equations, and one worries that many undergraduate
students, however advanced, will not be persuaded by Wallace's
insistence that '(i)nterpreting formalisms is a distinctively
philosophical project' (85).
Roman Frigg's 'A Field Guide to Recent Work on the
Foundations of Statistical Mechanics' is perhaps the most difficult
chapter. The discussion focuses on two main 'schools', those
associated with Boltzmann and Gibbs, each of which generate
incommensurable formulations of the 'core' problems, like
equilibrium and non-equilibrium. The explanations of these two
'approaches' requires some lengthy formalisms, which may alarm
the mathematically-inexperienced, although Frigg's presentation of
the problems provides welcome interludes.
Chapter 4, Chris Timpson's 'Philosophical Aspects of
Quantum Information Theory', provides an introduction to quantum
information theory, 'one of the most lively and up-and-coming new
areas of research in physics', albeit a familiar one since, as
Timpson argues, its central question is the familiar one: 'How does
the quantum world differ from the classical one?' (197). This
chapter explores 'applied' questions like 'what can one
do with entanglement' and other quantum notions, and so will be
useful to those who find the more 'abstract' physical and
philosophical discussions earlier in the book a little overwhelming.
Certainly, Timpson's mention and discussion of quantum computing,
cryptography, and teleportation are bound to excite the undergraduates
at whom the book is aimed. Throughout, Timpson also regularly pauses to
reiterate the philosophical significance of the quantum physics he draws
upon, making this a particularly engaging chapter.
The final chapter is Dean Rickles' 'Quantum Gravity: A
Primer for Philosophers'. Rickles' aim is to provide 'a
catalyst for future research projects' within philosophy of
physics, rather than delve into 'the nitty gritty philosophical
problems' (262). The reason is that there is, as yet, no existing
theory of quantum gravity to focus on, even if there are a cluster of
related problems. Rickles opens his chapter with a clear historical
sketch of the 'strange case of quantum gravity', including an
emphasis on the pleasing point that quantum gravity research is
'one of the few areas of contemporary physics' where
physicists 'actively engage with philosophers' (263). The last
two sections, on the future of quantum gravity and resources, are
particularly useful, and provide a nice coda to the book.
The Ashgate Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Physics would
serve as an excellent resource for advanced undergraduate and
postgraduate courses in the philosophy of physics. The rich bibliography
offers ample sources for further research. Understandably for a textbook
on the philosophy of physics, some degree of mathematical competence is
required, and this may deter those students and teachers who lack
sufficient nous with equations and formalisms. Of course, this may hurt
its potential as a general purpose textbook, especially for philosophers
who lack scientific training, and one might worry that Rickles presumes
more mathematical skill (and confidence!) from his intended student
readership than they might in fact possess. However, this is sure to be
a general problem for all philosophers who wish to enjoy close contacts
with contemporary science, whether philosophers of science,
metaphysicians, or whatever. In that case, philosophers of physics might
perhaps simply get more mathematics under their belt, and, on those
terms, this Ashgate Companion would serve as a good textbook for them.
Ian James Kidd
Durham University
