Strawson and Grice on quarks

by JLS
for the GC

M. Kuhlmann wrote, "In Search of an Ontology for Quantum Field Theory" -- citing Strawson on revisionary metaphysics, etc.



I Introduction 7

II Context, Methods and Presuppositions

1 Philosophical Background


1.1 The Development of Atomism in the History of Philosophy .

1.2 Philosophical Versus Scienti c Atomism . . . . . . . . . . .

1.3 Atomism and Reductionism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2 Ontology and Physics

2.1 \On What There Is": Notions of Ontology . . . . . . . . . .

2.2 The Analytical Tradition of Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.3 Excursion: No-Go Theorems in Quantum Physics . . . . . .

3 Fundamentals of Quantum Physics

3.1 The Legacy of Quantum Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.2 The Standard Formalism of QFT and its Problems . . . . .

3.3 The Relation of QFT and AQFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.4 Basic Ideas of AQFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 (A)QFT as Objects of Philosophy 48

4.1 Quantum Mechanics versus QFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.2 QFT versus Algebraic QFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.3 The Philosophical Interest in (A)QFT . . . . . . . . . . . .

III Classical Ontologies

5 Classical vs. Revisionary Ontologies

5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.2 Aristotle's Theory of Substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.3 Substances under Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 The Particle Interpretation of QFT

6.1 The Particle Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.2 Theory and Experiment in Elementary Particle Physics -
Is a Particle Track a Track of a Particle? . . . . . . . . . . .

6.3 Localization Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.3.1 The Clash of Causality and Localizability . . . . . .

6.3.2 Locating the Origin of Non-Localizability . . . . . . .

6.4 Further Problems for a Particle Interpretation of QFT . . .

6.5 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 Field Interpretations of QFT

7.1 The Field Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7.2 Fields as Basic Entities of QFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7.2.1 The Role of Field Operators in QFT . . . . . . . . .

7.2.2 Indirect Evidence for Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

IV Revisionary Ontologies

8 Process Ontology

8.1 The Strands of Process Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8.2 Why Process Ontology in QM and QFT? . . . . . . . . . . .

8.3 A `Case Study': Consequences of the Ontological Hypotheses
for the Interpretation of Feynman Diagrams . . . . . . .

8.4 Evaluation of the `Case Study' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8.5 Remaining Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9 Trope Ontology

9.1 Introduction - The Ontological Status of Properties . . . . .

9.2 Trope Ontology as a Solution to the Problem of Universals .

9.3 The Bundle Theory of Tropes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9.4 Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

V Proposal for a New Ontology of QFT

10 Dispositional Trope Ontology

10.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10.2 Dispositional Tropes of `Many-Particle Systems' . . . . . . .

10.2.1 `Elementary Particles' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10.2.2 Individuality of Quantum Objects . . . . . . . . . . .
10.2.3 Dispositions and Tropes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10.2.4 An Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10.3 From Many-Particle Systems to Fields . . . . . . . . . . . .

10.4 Reconciliation of Theory and Experience . . . . . . . . . . .
10.5 Summing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VI Conclusion

11 The Interplay of Physics and Philosophy

12 Evaluation and Comparison
12.1 General Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12.2 Comparison of Ontological Approaches to QFT . . . . . . .
12.2.1 Particles Versus Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12.2.2 Processes Versus Tropes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12.2.3 The Merits of Dispositional Trope Ontology . . . . .

VII Glossaries
Physics Glossary
Philosophy Glossary

VIII Appendices
A The Quantum Theory of Measurement
B Assumptions of AQFT
C Proof of Malament's No-Go Theorem
References
Acknowledgement