Derivative Metaphysical Indeterminacy and Quantum Physics

A Determinable-Based Account of Metaphysical Indeterminacy

Many phenomena appear to be indeterminate, including material macro-object boundaries and certain open future claims. Here I provide an account of indeterminacy in metaphysical, rather than semantic or epistemic, terms. Previous accounts of metaphysical indeterminacy (MI) have typically taken this to involve its being indeterminate which of various determinate (precise) states of affairs obtain...

Does Physics Answer Metaphysical Questions?

According to logical positivism, so the story goes, metaphysical questions are meaningless, since they do not admit of empirical confirmation or refutation. However, the logical positivists did not in fact reject as meaningless all questions about for example, the structure of space and time. Rather, key figures such as Reichenbach and Schlick believed that scientific theories often presupposed...

Quantum Physics: A Case for Anti-Realism?

quantum physics: a case for anti-realism?

the aim of the present paper is to sbo» that anti-realism in science, 1vhich has a1;guab/y become more fashionable in recentyears, contrary to tuha: its proponents assert, cannot make use of quantum mechanics and its impressiue achievements as a frump card in justifying its claims. i will argue that scientific anti-realism far from providing scientific communiry with a progressive methodologica...

Quantum Gravity as a Metaphysical Problem

Quantum gravity is usually represented as being one of the central open problems of modern fundamental physics. It is presented as being “a dream, a theoretical need and a scientific goal. It is a theory which still does not exist in complete form”, a “yet-to-be-found theory” [1]. The starting point of this paper is that such a non-existence claim is wrong: There exists a simple and straightfor...