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Empiricist analysis of spacetime theories

lecture course

Thu 16-17:30 Room 224

(The lectures will  be given in English. The exam can be taken in English or Hungarian.)


Codes:
BMA-LOTD17-206.03
BBN-FIL-401.117
BBV-020.81
BMA-FILD-401.99
BMI-LOTD17-206E.03
BMI-LOTD-206E.09


Contents
  • Conventionalism, semantic convention, operationalism, constitutive a priori, semantic holism
  • Absolute vs. relative conceptions and objectivity
  • Early 20th century definitions of distance and time. Overlooked circularities and other issues in the classical definitions. How relativistic effects complicate matter - more issues
  • Operational circularities vs. semantic holism
  • Attempt for precise empirical definitions of the basic spatio-temporal conceptions - successes and failures
  • Relativity to what?
  • Spacetime, determinism, objective becoming
  • Spacetime and existence: presentism vs. eternalism, endurance vs. perdurance
  • Spacetime and causality
  • Spacetime and irreversibility
  • Why just time?

Grading criteria, specific requirements

Oral exam from the material of the lectures. Video records and the slides of the lectures will be available.


Suggested readings
  • L. E. Szabó: Empirical Foundation of Space and Time, in M. Suárez, M. Dorato and M. Rédei (eds.), EPSA07: Launch of the European Philosophy of Science Association, Springer 2009. [PDF]
  • J. M. E. McTaggart: The Unreality of Time, in: The Philosophy of Time (Oxford Readings in Philosophy), R. Le Poidevin, M. MacBeath (eds.), Oxford University Press, 1993. (Eredeti mű: The Nature of Existence, 33. fejezet, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1927.) 
  • H. Reichenbach: The Theory of Relativity and A Priori Knowledge, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1965.
  • L. E. Szabó: On the meaning of Lorentz covariance, Foundations of Physics Letters 17 (2004) pp. 479 - 496 [preprint: PDF
  • L.E. Szabó: A nyitott jövő problémája - véletlen, kauzalitás és determinizmus a fizikában (The Problem of Open Future - chance, causality, and determinism in physics), Typotex Kiadó, Budapest 2002  (The manuscript of the English edition will be available for the students in PDF form.)
  • H. Reichenbach: The philosophy of space and time, Dover Publications, New York, 1958.
  • M. Friedman: Foundations of Space-Time Theories -- Relativistic Physics and Philosophy of Science, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1983.
  • J. S. Bell: How to teach special relativity, in Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics, Cambridge University Press, 1987.
  • A. Einstein, Relativity: The Special and General Theory
  • L. E. Szabó: Lorentzian theories vs. Einsteinian special relativity -- a logico-empiricist reconstruction, in A. Maté, M. Rédei and F. Stadler (eds.), Vienna Circle and Hungary -- Veröffentlichungen des Instituts Wiener Kreis,  Springer 2011. [PDF]
  • L. E. Szabó: Does special relativity theory tell us anything new about space and time? [PDF] (Prolog)


2023-08-27

  

Videos and slides







  TTK-s és IK-s BSc hallgatók!

Filozófia minor


TTK-s és IK-s BSc hallgatók!
 
Logika és tudományfilozófia MA szak

benne
A fizika filozófiája
vagy
A matematika filozófiája
alprogrammal!



Master's in Logic and Philosophy of Science

(in English)

The curriculum includes core courses in logic and formal approaches to philosophy of science, and advanced optional courses in logic, philosophy of mathematics, foundations of physics, logical methods in linguistics, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and formal models in social sciences. Students can choose a focus according to their own fields of interests. In general, the program is research oriented, aiming to prepare students for a PhD program.

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Master's in Philosophy






 
2008