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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 5: Quantum Theory 4

AGPhil 5.4: Vortrag

Mittwoch, 1. September 2021, 18:00–18:30, H8

Does Physics study the concrete? — •Samuel Dickson — University of York, York, UK

Metaphysicians classically divide objecthood into two categories, the abstract and the concrete. Physicists investigate the physical, and this is often taken to be part of the concrete. So physicists are investigating concrete objects. I think, however, that this is debatable. Concrete objects are typically taken to be both spatiotemporal and causal. However, I think the objects of fundamental physics, things like quarks and electrons, are not concrete objects, but this does not mean I think they are abstract. I think there is a middle ground between the abstract and concrete, and I think the objects of fundamental physics are in this middle ground, what I am calling exotic objects. For example, electrons are not categorised accurately with what we generally mean by spatial. Using the general sense, electrons do not exist in space (in that way). If this is the sense of spatial relevant for something to be a concrete object, then electrons are not concrete. If we soften what we mean by concrete to avoid this, then we will find equal need to soften what we mean by temporal and causal, meaning many things classed as abstract would become concrete. That is why we need a middle ground, the exotic.