ISBN:
9781845409760
Language:
English
Pages:
1 Online-Ressource (216 pages)
Parallel Title:
Print version Gambini, Rodolfo A Hospitable Universe : Addressing Ethical and Spiritual Concerns in Light of Recent Scientific Discoveries
DDC:
303.483
Keywords:
Science-Social aspects
;
Religion and science
;
Science-Social aspects.
;
Religion and science
;
Electronic books
Abstract:
This book argues that new developments in the sciences, in particular twentieth-century physics and twenty-first-century biology, suggest revising several pessimistic outlooks for the development of a scientific understanding of the relationship of humans with the universe - in particular, implications for the development of a natural religiousness. In the new vision a universe which is friendly to life and consciousness naturally emerges
Abstract:
Cover -- Front matter -- Title page -- Publisher information -- Body matter -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Naturalism, physicalism, emergence -- 2.1 Naturalism -- 2.2 Physicalism -- 2.3 Epistemological reductionism and ontological emergence -- 2.4 Religious naturalism -- Part I: A quick tour of contemporary physics -- 3 Birth and zenith of mechanism -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 The impact of classical mechanics on the thought of the 17th and 18th centuries -- 3.3 The birth of modern cosmology -- 3.4 Cartesian mechanism -- 4 The downfall of the mechanist paradigm -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 The electric and magnetic field -- 4.3 Electromagnetism -- 4.4 Electromagnetic waves -- 4.5 The electromagnetism of Faraday and Maxwell -- 4.6 Electromagnetic properties of light -- 4.7 Interference -- 4.8 Atomism -- 4.9 Conclusions -- 5 The scenario becomes an actor: space-time as a form of matter -- 5.1 Special relativity -- 5.1.1 Relativity of simultaneity and lapses of time -- 5.1.2 Neither space nor time: space-time -- 5.2 General relativity -- 5.2.1 Origins -- 5.3 Basic ideas of general relativity -- 5.4 Conclusions -- 6 A first tour through the quantum world -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.1.1 Waves or corpuscles? -- 6.1.2 The uncertainty principle -- 6.1.3 Wavefunctions and wave mechanics -- 6.2 The fundamental rules of quantum mechanics -- 6.2.1 Polarized photons -- 6.2.2 Spinning particles -- 6.2.3 The probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics -- 6.2.4 The basic concepts of quantum mechanics -- systems, states and events -- 6.2.5 Conclusion -- 7 A surprise and a mystery of quantum mechanics: entangled systems and measurements -- 7.1 Non locality and entanglement in quantum systems -- 7.1.1 Composite system of two particles in independent proper states -- 7.1.2 Composite system of two entangled particles
Abstract:
7.1.3 Non-locality, the EPR experiment and Bell's inequalities -- 7.1.4 The meaning of quantum states: no cloning and teleportation -- 7.2 The problem of quantum measurements -- 8 Towards a complete unification of the conceptual frameworks, including all forms of matter -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Quantizing electromagnetism -- 8.2.1 Recovering the classical behavior of fields: coherent states -- 8.2.2 Quantum field theory -- 8.2.3 The vacuum state and virtual particles -- 8.2.4 Interacting fields and infinities -- 8.3 The issue of unifying quantum mechanics and gravity -- 8.3.1 Towards a complete physical description of the world: quantum gravity, loops and strings -- 8.3.2 Loop quantum gravity -- 8.3.3 Superstrings -- 8.3.4 Conclusions -- Part II Quantum Physics and emergence -- 9 The problem of the interpretation of quantum mechanics and scientific realism -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Quantum mechanics and its interpretations -- 9.3 The derivation of an ontology from physics -- 9.3.1 Quantum mechanics and the crisis in the ontology of classical physics -- 9.3.2 Bohr interpretation -- 9.4 An ontology of states and events for quantum mechanics -- 9.5 Interpretations that admit an event ontology -- 9.5.1 Events in the Many Worlds Interpretation -- 9.5.2 Events in Modal Interpretations -- 9.5.3 The (real time) Montevideo Interpretation of quantum mechanics -- 10 Emergence and non reductive physicalism -- 10.1 Emergence in terms of an event ontology -- 10.1.1 Ontologically new properties -- 10.1.2 Downward causation -- 10.1.3 Summary -- Part III The centrality of life -- 11 Darwinism and the centrality of life -- 11.1 The issue of the origin of life -- 11.2 Darwinism -- 11.3 From neo-Darwinism to evolution in the era of genome -- 11.4 Can one talk about progress in evolution? -- 11.5 Mechanism, Darwinism and 21st century science
Abstract:
12 Ontology of events and consciousness -- 12.1 Back to consciousness -- 12.2 What do we mean by consciousness? -- 12.3 The problem of consciousness and quantum theory -- 12.4 The mind-body problem and the quantum ontology -- 12.4.1 Objects and substances -- 12.4.2 Properties and events -- 12.4.3 The mind-body problem -- 13 Cosmology: the genesis of a bio-friendly universe -- 13.1 Synopsis of the evolution of the Universe -- 13.2 The dark universe -- 13.3 Inflation -- 13.4 The Anthropic Principle -- 13.5 A bio-friendly Universe -- 14 The Multiverse and beyond -- Part IV Religious Naturalism -- 15 The scientific roots of nihilism and its overcoming -- 15.1 Introduction -- 15.2 Nihilism in 19th century science -- 15.3 Revision of nihilism from the perspective of contemporary science -- 16 Monism vs. pluralism: natural religiousness and its historical roots -- 16.1 Introduction -- 16.2 Spinoza's conception -- 16.3 Whitehead's conception -- 16.4 Quantum physics and the ontological pluralism of actualities -- 16.5 Ontological monism of potentialities -- 17 Emotions, ethics and free will -- 17.1 Introduction -- 17.2 Emotions as the internal aspect of states -- 17.3 Freedom of the will versus random choices. -- 18 Creativity and God -- 18.1 Creativity -- 18.2 God -- 18.2.1 Finite or infinite Universe -- 18.2.2 What do we mean by the state of the Universe? -- 18.2.3 Eternity and temporality -- 18.2.4 God and the Universe are Increate -- 18.2.5 Natural theism -- 18.2.6 Mortality -- 19 Conclusions -- Back matter -- Bibliography
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