The Philosophy and Physics of Duality
This monograph discusses dualities in physics: what dualities are, their main examples—from quantum mechanics and electrodynamics to statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and string theory—and the philosophical questions that they raise. Part I first conceptualises dualities and discusses thei...
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | Online |
| Lenguaje: | inglés |
| Publicado: |
Oxford University Press
2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/110262 |
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| _version_ | 1869514195404324864 |
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| author | De Haro, Sebastian Butterfield, Jeremy |
| author_browse | Butterfield, Jeremy De Haro, Sebastian |
| author_facet | De Haro, Sebastian Butterfield, Jeremy |
| author_sort | De Haro, Sebastian |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | This monograph discusses dualities in physics: what dualities are, their main examples—from quantum mechanics and electrodynamics to statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and string theory—and the philosophical questions that they raise. Part I first conceptualises dualities and discusses their main roles and themes, including how they are related to familiar notions like symmetry and interpretation. It also discusses the main simple examples of dualities: position-momentum, wave-particle, electric-magnetic and Kramers-Wannier dualities. Part II discusses advanced examples and their inter-relations: particle-soliton dualities, electric-magnetic dualities in quantum field theories, dualities in string theory, and gauge-gravity duality. This Part ends with discussions of the hole argument, and how string theory counts the microstates of a black hole. Part III is an in-depth discussion of general philosophical issues on which dualities bear: theoretical equivalence (two theories ‘saying the same thing, in different words’), scientific realism and the under-determination of theories by data, theory succession and the M-theory programme, explanation and scientific understanding. It proposes a view of scientific theories that it dubs the geometric view of theories. The book’s treatment of the examples is at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level, starting from elementary and progressing to more advanced examples. The discussions of philosophical topics, such as referential semantics, theoretical equivalence, scientific realism and scientific understanding, are both self-contained and in-depth. Thus the book is aimed at students and researchers with an interest in the physical examples and philosophical questions about dualities, and also in how physics and philosophy can fruitfully interact with each other. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-173022 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| publisherStr | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1730222026-03-01T06:13:56Z The Philosophy and Physics of Duality De Haro, Sebastian Butterfield, Jeremy Duality Theoretical equivalence Scientific realism Emergence Scientific understanding String theory Quantum field theory Gauge-gravity duality Hole argument Particles and solitons thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PD Science: general issues::PDA Philosophy of science thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics::PHQ Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) This monograph discusses dualities in physics: what dualities are, their main examples—from quantum mechanics and electrodynamics to statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and string theory—and the philosophical questions that they raise. Part I first conceptualises dualities and discusses their main roles and themes, including how they are related to familiar notions like symmetry and interpretation. It also discusses the main simple examples of dualities: position-momentum, wave-particle, electric-magnetic and Kramers-Wannier dualities. Part II discusses advanced examples and their inter-relations: particle-soliton dualities, electric-magnetic dualities in quantum field theories, dualities in string theory, and gauge-gravity duality. This Part ends with discussions of the hole argument, and how string theory counts the microstates of a black hole. Part III is an in-depth discussion of general philosophical issues on which dualities bear: theoretical equivalence (two theories ‘saying the same thing, in different words’), scientific realism and the under-determination of theories by data, theory succession and the M-theory programme, explanation and scientific understanding. It proposes a view of scientific theories that it dubs the geometric view of theories. The book’s treatment of the examples is at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level, starting from elementary and progressing to more advanced examples. The discussions of philosophical topics, such as referential semantics, theoretical equivalence, scientific realism and scientific understanding, are both self-contained and in-depth. Thus the book is aimed at students and researchers with an interest in the physical examples and philosophical questions about dualities, and also in how physics and philosophy can fruitfully interact with each other. 2026-03-01T06:13:51Z 2026-03-01T06:13:51Z 2026-02-28T20:09:10Z 2025 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/110262 9780198846338 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/173022 eng open access Oxford University Press 10.1093/oso/9780198846338.001.0001 10.1093/oso/9780198846338.001.0001 db4e319f-ca9f-449a-bcf2-37d7c6f885b1 9780198846338 624 Oxford open access |
| spellingShingle | Duality Theoretical equivalence Scientific realism Emergence Scientific understanding String theory Quantum field theory Gauge-gravity duality Hole argument Particles and solitons thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PD Science: general issues::PDA Philosophy of science thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics::PHQ Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) De Haro, Sebastian Butterfield, Jeremy The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title | The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title_full | The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title_fullStr | The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title_short | The Philosophy and Physics of Duality |
| title_sort | philosophy and physics of duality |
| topic | Duality Theoretical equivalence Scientific realism Emergence Scientific understanding String theory Quantum field theory Gauge-gravity duality Hole argument Particles and solitons thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PD Science: general issues::PDA Philosophy of science thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics::PHQ Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) |
| topic_facet | Duality Theoretical equivalence Scientific realism Emergence Scientific understanding String theory Quantum field theory Gauge-gravity duality Hole argument Particles and solitons thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PD Science: general issues::PDA Philosophy of science thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics thema EDItEUR::P Mathematics and Science::PH Physics::PHQ Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory) |
| url | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/110262 |
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