Philosophical Issues in Electromagnetism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4821734 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mathias Frisch (0000-0002-1027-3796, University of Maryland, Baltimore, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 255-270 |
| Publication date | 2009-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophy Compass (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2008.00192.x |
| OpenAlex | W2086853472 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 29 |
This paper provides a survey of several philosophical issues arising in classical electrodynamics arguing that there is a philosophically rich set of problems in theories of classical physics that have not yet received the attention by philosophers that they deserve. One issue, which is connected to the philosophy of causation, concerns the temporal asymmetry exhibited by radiation fields in the presence of wave sources. Physicists and philosophers disagree on whether this asymmetry reflects a fundamental causal asymmetry or is due to statistical or thermodynamic considerations. I suggest that an explanation appealing to the asymmetry of causation is more promising. Another issue concerns the conceptual structure of the theory. Despite its empirical success, classical electrodynamics faces serious foundational problems. Models of charged particles involve what by the theory's own lights are idealizations, I maintain, and this is a feature that is not readily captured by traditional philosophical accounts of scientific theories. Other issues I discuss concern (i) the relation between Lorentz's theory of the electron and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity; (ii) the notion of the domain of a theory, the question of theory reduction, and the relation between classical and more fundamental quantum theories; and (iii) the role of locality constraints, their relation to the concept of causation; and the status of locality conditions in the semi-classical theory of the Aharanov-Bohm effect
Asymmetry · Causation · Classical physics · Epistemology · Locality · Philosophy of science · Physics · Quantum · Quantum mechanics · Scientific theory · Theoretical physics · Theory of relativity · Computer Science · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Quantum Mechanics and Applications · Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Inconsistency, Asymmetry, and Non-Locality
Wandering Significance
Physical Relativity
Comment on
Recent work on the arrow of radiation
Mechanisms, principles, and Lorentz's cautious realism
A tale of two arrows
Drawing the line between kinematics and dynamics in special relativity
Causality and the Arrow of Classical Time
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Laws and Initial Conditions
Inconsistency in Classical Electrodynamics
Established Theories
Understanding the Time-Asymmetry of Radiation
Inconsistency in Classical Electrodynamics
Presentism and Relativity
Non‐Locality in Classical Electrodynamics
Frisch, Muller, and Belot on an Inconsistency in Classical Electrodynamics
| Citations per year | 0.19 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2014 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |