Philosophical Problems of Space and Time
 | |
| Author | Adolf Grünbaum |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 12 |
| Subject | Philosophy of physics, space and time |
| Published | 1963 (2nd ed. 1973) |
| Publisher | Reidel (Dordrecht) |
| Pages | 884 |
| ISBN | 9027703574 |
Philosophical Problems of Space and Time is a major work in the philosophy of physics by Adolf Grünbaum, first published in 1963, with a greatly enlarged second edition (884 pages) appearing in 1973 as volume 12 of the Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science (Reidel).
Overview
Grünbaum offers a systematic philosophical analysis of the concepts of space and time in modern physics. A central theme is his defense of the conventionality of geometry and of simultaneity: the thesis that physical space and time have no intrinsic metric, so that the choice of congruence standard (and of distant simultaneity in special relativity) is in part a matter of convention rather than empirical fact. The book examines the epistemology of geometry, the status of the relativity of simultaneity, the direction (or "anisotropy") of time, Zeno's paradoxes, and the empirical foundations of relativity theory.
About the author
Adolf Grünbaum (1923–2018) was a German-American philosopher of science and long-time professor at the University of Pittsburgh, widely regarded as one of the leading twentieth-century philosophers of space, time, and scientific method. (Note: this is a mainstream, academically standard work, catalogued here for its treatment of the foundations of relativity.)
Publication details
- Author: Adolf Grünbaum
- Series: Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 12
- Publisher: D. Reidel, Dordrecht
- Published: 1963; 2nd enlarged edition 1973
- Pages: 884
- ISBN: 9027703574