This Oxford Handbook provides an overview of many
of the topics that currently engage philosophers of
physics. It surveys new issues and the problems that
have become a focus of attention in recent years. It
also provides up-to-date discussions of the still very
important problems that dominated the field in the past.
In the late 20th Century, the philosophy of physics was
largely focused on orthodox Quantum Mechanics and
Relativity Theory. The measurement problem, the question
of the possibility of hidden variables, and the nature
of quantum locality dominated the literature on the
quantum mechanics, whereas questions about relationalism
vs. substantivalism, and issues about underdetermination
of theories dominated the literature on spacetime. These
issues still receive considerable attention from
philosophers, but many have shifted their attentions to
other questions related to quantum mechanics and to
spacetime theories. Quantum field theory has become a
major focus, particularly from the point of view of
algebraic foundations. Concurrent with these trends,
there has been a focus on understanding gauge invariance
and symmetries. The philosophy of physics has evolved
even further in recent years with attention being paid
to theories that, for the most part, were largely
ignored in the past. For example, the relationship
between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics--once
thought to be a paradigm instance of unproblematic
theory reduction--is now a hotly debated topic. The
implicit, and sometimes explicit, reductionist
methodology of both philosophers and physicists has been
severely criticized and attention has now turned to the
explanatory and descriptive roles of "non-fundamental,"
phenomenological theories. This shift of attention
includes "old" theories such as classical mechanics,
once deemed to be of little philosophical interest.
Furthermore, some philosophers have become more
interested in "less fundamental" contemporary physics
such as condensed matter theory. Questions abound with
implications for the nature of models, idealizations,
and explanation in physics. This Handbook showcases all
these aspects of this complex and dynamic
discipline.
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