14 found
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  1. Fields, Particles, and Curvature: Foundations and Philosophical Aspects of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime.Aristidis Arageorgis - 1995 - Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh
    The physical, mathematical, and philosophical foundations of the quantum theory of free Bose fields in fixed general relativistic spacetimes are examined. It is argued that the theory is logically and mathematically consistent whereas semiclassical prescriptions for incorporating the back-reaction of the quantum field on the geometry lead to inconsistencies. Still, the relations and heuristic value of the semiclassical approach to canonical and covariant schemes of quantum gravity-plus-matter are assessed. Both conventional and rigorous formulations of the theory and of its principal (...)
     
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  2.  75
    Fulling Non‐uniqueness and the Unruh Effect: A Primer on Some Aspects of Quantum Field Theory.Aristidis Arageorgis, John Earman & Laura Ruetsche - 2003 - Philosophy of Science 70 (1):164-202.
    We discuss the intertwined topics of Fulling non‐uniqueness and the Unruh effect. The Fulling quantization, which is in some sense the natural one for an observer uniformly accelerated through Minkowski spacetime to adopt, is often heralded as a quantization of the Klein‐Gordon field which is both physically relevant and unitarily inequivalent to the standard Minkowski quantization. We argue that the Fulling and Minkowski quantizations do not constitute a satisfactory example of physically relevant, unitarily inequivalent quantizations, and indicate what it would (...)
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  3. Fulling non‐uniqueness and the Unruh effect.Aristidis Arageorgis, John Earman & and Laura Ruetsche - 2003 - Philosophy of Science 70 (1):164-202.
    We discuss the intertwined topics of Fulling non-uniqueness and the Unruh effect. The Fulling quantization, which is in some sense the natural one for an observer uniformly accelerated through Minkowski spacetime to adopt, is often heralded as a quantization of the Klein-Gordon field which is both physically relevant and unitarily inequivalent to the standard Minkowski quantization. We argue that the Fulling and Minkowski quantizations do not constitute a satisfactory example of physically relevant, unitarily inequivalent quantizations, and indicate what it would (...)
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  4.  59
    Weyling the time away: the non-unitary implementability of quantum field dynamics on curved spacetime.Aristidis Arageorgis, John Earman & Laura Ruetsche - 2002 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 33 (2):151-184.
    The simplest case of quantum field theory on curved spacetime—that of the Klein–Gordon field on a globally hyperbolic spacetime—reveals a dilemma: In generic circumstances, either there is no dynamics for this quantum field, or else there is a dynamics that is not unitarily implementable. We do not try to resolve the dilemma here, but endeavour to spell out the consequences of seizing one or the other horn of the dilemma.
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  5.  47
    Spacetime as a causal set: Universe as a growing block?Aristidis Arageorgis - 2016 - Belgrade Philosophical Annual 29 (29):33-55.
    The causal set programme towards a quantum theory of gravity is situated vis-à-vis the long-standing debate between eternalism (block theory) and past-presentism or possibilism (growing block theory) in the philosophy of time. It is argued that despite 'appearances' and declarations to the contrary, the programme does not side with growing block theorists when it comes to harboring a robust notion of Becoming - at least, not more than familiar relativistic theories on continuous spacetime manifolds. The problem stems mainly from the (...)
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  6.  85
    On Particle Phenomenology Without Particle Ontology: How Much Local Is Almost Local?Aristidis Arageorgis & Chrysovalantis Stergiou - 2013 - Foundations of Physics 43 (8):969-977.
    Recently, Clifton and Halvorson have tried to salvage a particle phenomenology in the absence of particle ontology within algebraic relativistic quantum field theory. Their idea is that the detection of a particle is the measurement of a local observable which simulates the measurement of an almost local observable that annihilates the vacuum. In this note, we argue that the measurements local particle detections are supposed to simulate probe radically holistic aspects of relativistic quantum fields. We prove that in an axiomatic (...)
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  7.  72
    (1 other version)Demarcating technology from science: Problems and problem solving in technology.Aristidis Arageorgis & Aristides Baltas - 1989 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 20 (2):212-229.
    Es wird eine Unterscheidung zwischen für eine einzelne Wissenschaft eigentümlichen Problemen und technologischen Problemen vorgeschlagen. Dieser Unterscheidung liegt eine Auffassung zugrunde, nach welcher jede Wissenschaft einen speziellen Ausblick auf die Welt erarbeitet, einen Ausblick, der nur diejenigen Aspekte eines wirklichen Vorgangs heraussucht und sich aneignet, welche für diese Wissenschaft eigentümlich sind. Im Gegensatz dazu erfaßt die Technologie Vorgänge in der Gesamtheit ihrer Aspekte. Auf der Grundlage dieser Unterscheidung werden die Grundzüge des Verfahrens, welches zur Lösung von technologischen Problemen führt , (...)
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  8. Relativism, translation, and the metaphysics of realism.Aristidis Arageorgis - 2017 - Philosophical Studies 174 (3):659-680.
    Thoroughgoing relativists typically dismiss the realist conviction that competing theories describe just one definite and mind-independent world-structure on the grounds that such theories fail to be relatively translatable even though they are equally correct. This line of argument allegedly brings relativism into direct conflict with the metaphysics of realism. I argue that this relativist line of reasoning is shaky by deriving a theorem about relativistic inquiry in formal epistemology—more specifically, in the approach Kevin Kelly has dubbed “logic of reliable inquiry”. (...)
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  9.  36
    Holism and nonseparability by analogy.Aristidis Arageorgis - 2013 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 44 (3):206-214.
    This paper explores the issues of holism and nonseparability in relativistic quantum field theory by focusing on an analog of the typical model featuring in many discussions of holism and nonseparability in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. It is argued that the quantum field theoretic model does exhibit holism in a metaphysical sense and that there are plausible grounds to view QFT holistic in an epistemological sense. However, the complexities arising from the fact that quantum fields have infinite degrees of freedom prohibit (...)
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  10.  34
    Aristotle and the Atomists vis-à-vis the Mathematicians.Aristidis Arageorgis - 2015 - Philosophical Inquiry 39 (1):164-180.
  11.  30
    Bohmian Mechanics: A Panacea for What Ails Quantum Mechanics, or a Different and Problematic Theory?Aristidis Arageorgis & John Earman - unknown
    The popular impression of Bohmian mechanics is that it is standard quantum mechanics with the addition of some extra gadgets---exact particle positions and a guiding equation for particle trajectories---the advantages being that the gadgets pave the way for a resolution of the measurement problem that eschews state vector reduction while restoring the determinism lost in standard quantum mechanics. In fact, the Bohmian mechanics departs in significant ways from standard quantum mechanics. By itself this is not a basis for criticism; indeed, (...)
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  12.  56
    Beyond and behind Hilbert spaces: Interpreting quantum theories via mathematical advances: Hans Halvorson : Deep beauty: Understanding the quantum world through mathematical innovation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, 486pp, $105.00. [REVIEW]Aristidis Arageorgis - 2013 - Metascience 23 (1):71-77.
  13.  71
    Barrett, Jeffrey Allan. The Quantum Mechanics of Minds and Worlds. [REVIEW]Aristidis Arageorgis - 2001 - Review of Metaphysics 54 (4):904-905.
  14.  11
    The Quantum Mechanics of Minds and Worlds. [REVIEW]Aristidis Arageorgis - 2001 - Review of Metaphysics 54 (4):904-904.
    Although the interpretation of quantum mechanics encounters quite a few themes from the traditions of epistemology and metaphysics, its technical sophistication tends to deter philosophers. However its main problem, that of quantum measurement, can be understood by anyone who possesses rudimentary knowledge of linear algebra.
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