Reviews for Norm of Truth An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic

The average rating for Norm of Truth An Introduction to the Philosophy of Logic based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-01-18 00:00:00 Darby Struve Physical reality of space and time This book, edited by a physicist and a philosopher is described in five sections. The first section gives an introduction to the theories presented in the rest of four sections that deals with the unification of quantum physics and general relativity, i.e., quantization of spacetime. The second section reviews string theory that includes a chapter from the leading string theorist Ed Witten, and the third section discusses the advantages of topological quantum field theory (TQFT) in spacetime quantization. The last two chapters discuss quantum gravity by either using general relativity (minimizing quantum effects) or quantum physics (minimizing relativistic effects). Contributions from well known physicists like Roger Penrose, Carlo Rovelli, and William Unruh are included in this book. There are numerous quantum gravity theories, and one of the features of these theories is that they are highly mathematical, and largely unsupported by experimental evidence. The author's claim that this book is written for a general reader; this is not true because you need to know significant amount of physics and mathematics to clearly understand this book. Philosophical discussion of quantized spacetime and its relevance to physical reality is minimal. You will be disappointed if you are reading this book purely from philosophical interest. The relevance of spacetime quantization in relation to existence and reality is summarized as follows: Newtonian mechanics, relativistic physics, and quantum mechanics provide us physical laws that are used to describe existence and physical reality. Newtonian physics is sufficient to describe reality of our normal daily experiences in this world. At the level of atomic and subatomic particles, the reality is described by the laws of quantum physics; the application of Newtonian physics under these circumstances is very limited. At the cosmic level, the physical reality of stars, galaxies, and black holes are described by the theory of relativity. At low velocities (or momentum), relativistic physics is simplified and Newtonian physics becomes relevant; but at high velocities (or momentum), effects of relativity dominate and spacetime gets distorted, and Newtonian physics is no longer applicable. Hence to explain existence and physical reality one needs unified laws of physics that can explain all phenomenon at all sizes; let it be momentum of an electron or an automobile or a galaxy. Does spacetime exist in quantized state? If yes, then the energy-momentum will not be conserved or the superluminal (faster than speed of light) signaling will be allowed in quantum spacetime. How do we combine the quantum theory and relativistic physics into one theory that treats matter fields governed by quantum physics evolving on a curved spacetime that is governed by the theory of relativity? The main quantum gravity theories are; canonical quantum gravity and superstring theory. Alternative theories are twister theory, holographic hypothesis, non-commutative geometry, topological quantum field theory, and many others explore different avenues to the unification of spacetime. General relativity is a theory of gravity, hence a theory of space and time. Application of quantum physics into the concept of spacetime doesn't have to be like converting continuity to discreteness, the conception space and time could be still be held at the most fundamental level. One of the fundamental issues is that there are no phenomenon that is a result of interplay between general relativity and quantum physics. The lack of empirical data originates from a dimensional argument. The quantum scales; Planck's length, Planck's mass, Planck's time are extremely small and Plank's energy is extremely large. The theory of blackbody radiation gave the first indication that the field such as electromagnetic fields is quantized. Later developments showed that except gravity, all other three forces are unified in quantum field models. The values of these fields consequently are subjected to Heisenberg uncertainty which means that exact strengths at any given point are not specifiable. Hence any quantum theoretical description of gravity must provide for uncertainty in the value of gravity. One of the basic problems is that theory of relativity, the principle of equivalence, the equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass regard classical gravity as a theory of spacetime geometry. Quantum field treatment of a point results in quantization and no definable point is possible. If we use a massive object, the position is measurable with accuracy with respect to the classical background but it also amounts increasing gravitational charge and hence it interacts with the quantum gravitational background one is trying to measure. Thus the classical gravitational observables are diffeomorphism-invariant, which means we can not isolate a system gravitationally, and all matter and reference objects must be included in the description and these raise profound difficulties at the quantum level. One way to quantify the effects of gravity at a point is to make use of the relational properties but the downside of that is it fails to capture all observable gravitational phenomenons. In canonical quantum gravity the obvious part is the difficulty in finding any observable. The one that is expected to be found is highly non-local observable, yet the quantum gravity at a point corresponds to Planck's length. The second problem is the problem of time in quantum gravity. The fact that there is no definite quantum field strength at a point suggests that there is no adequate definition of local energy density. The applications of quantum physics to field theory, the conventional quantum field theory, rely on the existence of stage or fixed non-dynamical background metric structure, the Minkowski metric and this can not be replaced with quantum fields. Hence one way is to disvalue general relativity concepts and define gravitational field (spacetime curvature) to include Minkowski metric and the quantum fluctuations. Quantize only the fluctuations and hope to recover general relativity later; this approach has been used in perturbative string theory. The second approach is to find a theory that does not use background space. Each theory has its advantages and disadvantages but none comes close to the description of reality.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-19 00:00:00 Frank Cochran The Psychology Of William James In 1890, following a twelve-year effort, the American philosopher and psychologist William James published his 1200-page "Principles of Psychology". The "Principles" is a grand work which a group of distinguished psychologists described in 1969 as "the most literate, most provocative, and at the same time the most intelligent book on psychology that has ever appeared in English on any other language." The "Principles" proved greatly influential on many philosophers, notably Edmund Husserl and Ludwig Wittgenstein, as well as on psychologists. Because of the length and depth of the "Principles", it proved unsuitable for classroom use by undergraduates. Thus, working rapidly in 1891, William James substantially revised and abridged his masterpiece, resulting in his "Psychology: Briefer Course" published in 1892. For many years, this book was a standard textbook in psychology, and it remains eminently worth reading as an introduction to the discipline and to James's own thought. The "Psychology" is about one-third the length of the "Principles." It consists of approximately 40 percent new material, most of which is in the opening chapters of the book on sensation and on anatomy and physiology. The remainder of the book is an abridgment of the earlier work, with philosophical discussions, quotations from other authors, and polemical material deleted or sharply curtailed. The "Psychology" is an accessible and endlessly fascinating book on at least three levels: first, for its insight into the science of psychology; second for the suggestive character of its discussion of the relationship between psychology (and the natural sciences)on the one hand and philosophy and religion on the other hand; third, for the eloquence of James's writing and for his passion for the ethical and active life. I will say a short word in the following three paragraphs about each of these. At the outset, James defines psychology as "the description and explanation of states of consciousness as such." He also finds that psychology and mental activity are neurologically and physiologically based. In other words, as James writes, "the immediate condition of a state of consciousness is an activity of some sort in the cerebral hemispheres." An illustration of the physiological basis of James work is his theory of the emotions, called the James-Lange theory, in which he argued that human feelings and emotions were rooted in actions and efforts rather than, is is still frequently supposed, the other way round. Everything that James writes has an empirical, physiological cast; and yet his work is far from reductionist. For all its emphasis on physiology, James analysis of the mind begins in chapters 9 and 10 with his discussions of the "stream of consciousness" and of the nature of the "self". He uses what he describes as the analytical method to analyze the fact of consciousness into habit, emotion, instinct, reasoning, attention, and the like. He does not take a Lockean/Humean approach by attempting to derive consciousness by compounding from simple sensation. James distinguishes the scientific approach of psychology from the questions of metaphysics of philosophy while showing their interrelations. Scientific studies are partial and rely upon evidence, while metaphysics involves an attempt to think globally. With an appealing humility, James stresses how little is fundamentally known about psychology, an observation that may still hold true today. James emphasizes the limited reach of human cognition and the selective character of all human perception. In a memorable passage, he describes the mind's attempt to abstract from reality, which he characterizes as "one big blooming buzzing Confusion." I found a Kantian tendency in much of what James says about human knowledge in the Psychology. James also emphasizes, as did Kant, the deterministic character of scientific observation and study. But James does not find the physiological character of human effort necessarily inconsistent with human free will or with the power of the individual with effort to control his or her destiny. With all its scientific learning, the Psychology has an ethical, exhortatory tone as befitting its proposed use by students. James can be a magnificently inspiring writer. The Psychology concludes with a discussion of the will. James writes about the need to hold to the possibility of the free will in order to make an individual's life meaningful and significant. He writes at the conclusion of his chapter on the will: "Thus not only our morality but our religion, so far as the latter is deliberate, depend on the effort which we can make. "Will you or won't you have it so?" is the most probing question we are ever asked; we are asked it every hour of the day, and about the largest as well as the smallest, the most theoretical as well as the most practical, things. we answer by consents or non-consents and not by words. What wonder that these dumb responses should seem our deepest organs of communication with the nature of things! What wonder if the effort demanded by them be the measure of our worth as men! What wonder if the amount which we accord of it were the one strictly underived and original contribution which we make to the world!" The edition of the "Psychology" I am reviewing here is the authoritative edition of "The Works of William James" published by Harvard University Press. Certain other editions in print omit the early chapters on sensation and should be avoided. The best source of this work for the interested reader is in volume 1 of the writings of William James, 1879-1899 published by the Library of America. It includes the Harvard text of the Principles as well as several other works of James and sells at an economical price. Robin Friedman