Everywhere and everywhen: adventures in physics and philosophy

Abstract

1. A Longish Introduction: The Problem of Change 1.1 Melissus's Paradox 1.2 What is Change? 1.3 Laws 1.4 Spacetime Today 2. Zeno's Paradoxes: 2.1 The Dichotomy Paradox 2.2 'Supertasks' 3. Zeno's Arrow Paradox: 3.1 The Paradox 3.2 What Philosophy Can Teach Physics 4. The Shape of Space I-Topology 4.1 An End to Space? 4.2 Neither Bounded Nor Infinite 4.3 What Physics Can Teach Philosophy 5. Beyond the Third Dimension? 5.1 Multi-Dimensional Life 5.2 More Than Three Dimensions? 6. Why Three Dimensions? 6.1 The Force of Gravity and the Dimensions of Space 6.2 Does Intelligent Life Take Three Dimensions? 6.3 Is the Universe Made for Humans? 6.4 The Megaverse 6.5 Philosophy in Physics 7. The Shape of Space II-Curved Space? 7.1 Mathematical Certainty 7.2 Life in Non-Euclidean Geometry 7.3 What Kind of Knowledge is Geometry? 8. Looking For Geometry 8.1 Measuring the Geometry of Space? 8.2 The 'Geometry' of Poincare's Space 8.3 How to Disprove a Definition 8.4 Experiencing Space: 8.5 Where is Geometry? 9. What is Space? 9.1 Space=Matter 9.2 Relational Space 9.3 Absolute Space 9.4 Relational Space Redux 9.5 What Physics and Philosophy Can Teach Each Other 10. Time 10.1 Time vs. Space 10.2 Nowism 10.3 A Moving Now? 10.4 McTaggart's Argument 10.5 Passing Time in a Block Universe 11. Time and Tralfamadore 11.1 The Mind's Worldline 11.2 Experience of Space vs. Time 11.3 Another Arrow 11.4 Physics and the Philosophy of Perception 12. Time Travel 12.1 What is Time Travel? 12.2 Is Time Travel Possible? 12.3 The Problem with Time Travel 12.4 Possible and Impossible Time Travel 12.5 The Philosophy and Physics of Time Travel 13. Why Can't I Stop my Younger Self from Time Traveling? 13.1 Physics Might Stop Me 13.2 ... and If Not, Logic Will 13.3 My Precise Physical State Stops Me 13.4 Living in a Physical Universe 14. Spacetime and the Theory of Relativity 14.1 Photons and Bullets 14.2 Convention 14.3 Relativity-When is Now? 14.4 Relativistic Spacetime 14.5 Relativity of Length 14.6 Relativity of Time 15. Time in Relativity 15.1 The Twins 15.2 General Relativity 15.3 Time vs. Space Yet Again 16. Hands and Mirrors 16.1 Is Handedness Intrinsic or Extrinsic? 16.2 The 'Fitting' Account 16.3 Kant's Argument against the Fitting Account 16.4 Looking Left and Right 16.5 Mirrors 16.6 Orientability 17. Identity 17.1 Particle Statistics 17.2 Schr:odinger's Counting Games 18. Quarticles 18.1 New Counting Games 18.2 Hookon Identity 18.3 Indistinguishable Quarticles? 18.4 Quanta as Quarticles 19. Where Next?