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Open systems physics, metaphysics, and methodology edited by Michael E. Cuffaro, Stephan Hartmann
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Cuffaro, Michael E.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Open systems (Physics)--Philosophy.
- Open systems (Physics).
- Metaphysics.
- metaphysics.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource
- Edition:
- 1st ed.
- Other Title:
- Physics, metaphysics, and methodology
- Place of Publication:
- Oxford New York, NY Oxford University Press [2026]
- Summary:
- Scientific and philosophical inquiry often assumes that systems can be studied in isolation, yet real-world systems are never truly closed. They constantly interact with their environment, exchanging energy, information, and matter. This openness challenges fundamental assumptions about determinism, causality, and emergence, raising profound questions about how we model, explain, and understand the world. This book brings together leading philosophers and scientists to explore the implications of open systems across physics, metaphysics, and methodology. How do interactions shape the behaviour of physical systems? What are the consequences of idealizing real systems as closed? How does openness affect our understanding of fundamental theories, such as quantum mechanics and statistical physics? And what does it mean for the broader philosophical concepts of reduction, explanation, and emergence?
- Contents:
- Cover
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- I The Open Systems View
- 1 Quantum Theory is about Open Systems
- 2 The Temporally Open Systems View
- 3 The Relative Nature of Open Quantum Systems
- 4 Quantum Systems Other than the Universe
- 5 Frameworks in Physics: Abstractness, Generality, and the Role of Metaphysics
- II Concepts of Open and Closed Systems In and Beyond Physics
- 6 Newtonian Research and the Open Systems View
- 7 Blackbody Radiation: The Open and Closed Systems Views and Complementary Reasoning Strategies
- 8 Boundaries, Frames, and the Issue of Physical Covariance
- 9 Relational Objectivity in the Presence of Finite Quantum Resources
- 10 Open Systems and Autonomy
- 11 Biological Emergence: A Key Exemplar of the Open Systems View
- III The Physics and Metaphysics of Worlds and Universes
- 12 Open Systems as Metaphysically Fundamental: Some Questions
- 13 How Closed is Cosmology?
- 14 Density Matrix Realism
- 15 Conservation Laws in the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
- 16 Quantum Theory: Ideals, Infinities, and Pluralities
- 17 Perspective Duality as a Physical Requirement
- Index.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on May 14, 2026)
- Other Format:
- Print version :
- ISBN:
- 9780198929277
- 0198929277
- 9780198929260
- 0198929269
- OCLC:
- 1584387868
- Publisher Number:
- CIPO000374018
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license
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