Overview

This is a series of contributions written by scientists interested in a philosophical reflection on advances of science. Scientific theorems in modern mathematics and physics shed light on two fundamental questions often only implicitly dealt with: is mathematical truth a purely man-made construction; and is the physical reality behind the phenomena, at least in principle, always observable? The answers to both questions are closely related to the possible existence of an omniscient and omnipotent being. In this sense mathematical undecidability and quantum nonlocality are proposed as a possible road to metaphysical principles and eventually to God. The book aims to present generally understandable information on results from mathematics, like the theorems of Godel and Turing, and physics, mostly related to EPR Gedanken experiments and Bell's theorem. In the case of physics special attention is directed to old and new experiments supporting a nonlocal approach. Especially worth mentioning is the contribution of the late John Bell on Bell's theorem held on 22 January 1990 in a Seminar at CERN.

Full Product Details

Author:   A. Driessen ,  Antoine Suarez
Publisher:   Springer
Imprint:   Springer
Edition:   1997 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.160kg
ISBN:  

9780792343066

ISBN 10:   0792343069
Pages:   227
Publication Date:   31 August 1997
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

I: Mathematics and Undecidability.- 1. How can or should the recent developments in mathematics influence the philosophy of mathematics?.- 2. Number and randomness: algorithmic information theory — new results on the foundations of mathematics.- 3. Meaning, reality and algorithms: implications of the Turing theorem.- 4. The limits of mathematical reasoning: in arithmetic there will always be unsolved solvable problems.- 5. Mathematics: a pointer to an independent realityPenrose’s interpretation of the Gödel and Turing theorems.- II: Physics and Nonlocality.- 6. A critical approach to complexity and self organization.- 7. Indeterminism and nonlocality.- 8. Nonlocality and the principle of free experimentation.- 9. Optical tests of Bell’s theorem.- 10. Nonlocal phenomena: physical explanation and philosophical implications.- 11. Quantum theory: a pointer to an independent reality. Adiscussion of Bernard d’Espagna’s “veiled reality”>.- III: Science, Meta-Science and the Existence of God.- 12. Scientism and scientific knowledge of things and God.- 13. Physics and the mind of God.- 14. The question of the existence of God in the book of Stephen Hawking: A brief history of time.- 15. Final remarks: becoming aware of our fundamental limits in knowing and doing, implications for the question of the existence of God.- Notes on Contributors.

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