Riassunto:
What is unorthodox in this book? Much has happened in the last few years, especially in terms of the somewhat surpris ing rate at which the theories presented herein have been gaining increasing acceptance and support even by the most skeptical professionals. Nevertheless, the purpose of this up-dated Preface is not to tell the biographical and acceptance story behind this book, but to bring together some non-physical and non technical conclusions for those readers who find the physico-mathematical sections of this book too difficult to follow. A secondary purpose is to present here some newer conclu sions, especially in general philosophy and in aesthetics. Yet, the main physico philosophical conclusions presented in this book are not to be summarized here. For that purpose one must tum to the text itself. * * * The theories presented here have been developed in total isolation. They were never presented in "professional conferences", as most current writers do. Whether or not that was important remains to be seen. Hence, all I can state to critics and enthusiastic follow ers alike is the fact that I do not belong to any 'formal discipline', 'pressure group', or 'pro fessional organization'.
Contenuti:
1. Relativistic cosmology vs. modified concepts in physics and philosophy.- The problem of ordering.- How did it all start?.- The first seven stages.- 2. The Einsteinian methodology.- The withdrawal of philosophy from physics.- The greatest ambition of physics.- Unified field theories.- Physico-philo-sophical gains.- The expanding universe.- The 1977 “Aether drift” discovery.- Verification of physical laws by astronomy and astrophysics.- Einstein’s classification of physical theories.- 3. Economy of physical laws.- Search for higher symmetries and asymmetries.- Unified theories and quantum chromodynamics.- Gravitism.- Cosmology and physics.- Gravitation—structure—life.- Gravitational selection.- Gravitation, life and evolution.- Valid philosophies and Popper.- Task of philosophy.- The skeptic’s outlook.- I Preliminary Concepts.- Lecture I From Terrestrial Gravitational Structures To Black Holes and Neutrinos in Astrophysics.- Terminology and a word of caution.- The hierarchy of structures.- The main galactic structures.- Gravitation, asymmetry and structure.- Gravitationally—induced sedimentation, crystallisation, viruses, metamorphism, etc..- Stellar structures.- Main—sequence, supergiant and neutron stars.- Supernovae and pulsars.- Gravitational clocks.- X-ray astronomy and binary sources.- Black holes and violently active galaxies.- Gas, dust and formation of stars.- Cosmic distances measurement.- Cephei stars.- Neutrino astronomy.- Gamma-ray astronomy.- Unmanned spacecrafts exploring the universe.- Lecture II From “Conservation” in Classical Physics to Solitons in Particle Physics.- What is conservation?.- Micro-vs. macro-analyses.- Limitations of theory.- The general macroscopic equation.- Continuity and momentum equation.- Energy equation and dissipation.- Entropy balance equation.- Beyond classical physics: Solitons, Antisolitons and conservation.- Solitons in biophysics.- Conservation in subatomic processes.- The discovery of the neutrino.- Lecture III From General Relativity and Relativistic Cosmology to Gauge Theories.- Einstein field equations.- Principle of equivalence.- Confirmations of Einstein’s theory.- Preliminary formulations in general relativity.- Metric tensor and affine connection.- Newtonian limit.- The Energy—momentum tensor.- Weak static fields.- Master arrow of time.- Mathematical derivations.- Cosmological models.- Age and fate of the universe.- Accelerated observers and principle of equivalence.- Unified field theories: Solitons, instanton and gauge fields.- Spin-2 graviton and gauge fields.- Supergravity and spin-3/2 gravitino.- The skeptic’s view.- II From Physics To Philosophical Crossroads and Back.- Lecture IV The Arrows of Time.- Asymmetry—symmetry—space—time and the unification of the laws of physics.- Confusing concepts of time and asymmetry.- The entropie asymmetry.- Causality and causation.- Determinism in relativity.- Light cones.- Cosmological asymmetries.- Time-reversal invariance.- Subatomic asymmetries.- Symmetry breaking.- The death of scale—based physics.- Quantum geometrodynamics.- Superspace.- Failure of time.- Tachyons and macro—causality.- Memory in classical physics.- False entropy.- Entropy—free thermodynamics.- Lecture V The Crisis in Quantum Physics.- Preliminary review.- Gravitation and quantum physics.- The three main schools of thought.- Controversies over “uncertainty” and complementary “principles”.- Recent physico—philosophical conclusions about the state of determinism and chance.- The heresy of a few skeptics.- Mythologized concepts in physics.- The failure of quantum physics to deduce irreversibility and asymmetry.- Differential equations, initial and boundary conditions, and physical laws.- Quantum chromodynamics and super-symmetry.- Weinberg-Salam Theory.- Renormalizable gauge theories and supergravity.- Quarks, gluons, color, and the search for higher symmetry principles.- III From Physics to Cosmological Crossroads and Back.- Lecture VI Cosmology, Physics and Philosophy.- Reduction of thermodynamics to gravitation.- Gravitation as a super—asymmetry.- The earliest asymmetry.- Classification of expanding spaces.- Gravitation— asymmetry principle of equivalence.- Unsaturable spaces.- Derivation of the Master asymmetry from gravitation theories.- Irreversibility in the new theory.- The origin of all dissipation.- Terrestrial thermophysics.- Connections with classical and continuum thermophysics.- Electromagnetic irreversibility and the Master asymmetry.- Lecture VII Cosmological Origin of Time and Evolution.- Lecture VIII Black Holes and the Unification of Asymmetries.- Observational evidence.- Schwarzchild solution of the field equations.- Cygnus X-1.- Event horizons.- Black—hole physics and entropy.- “Evaporation” of black holes.- Primordial black holes?.- Back to unified asymmetries.- IV Beyond Present Knowledge.- Lecture IX Havayism—The Science of the Whole.- The futile quest for final answers.- An example in Havayism.- The interconnectedness of Havaya.- Impossibility of biotic evolution.- Gravitation and geochemical evolution.- Scale of biotic evolution.- Generation of biomonomers.- Gravitation and organisation.- Biological clocks.- Philosophy of biology.- Asymmetry and memory.- Brain and ordering of space and time.- Depth perception.- The failure of cybernetics and information theory.- Innate depth perception and gravitation.- Language, thinking and asymmetry.- Thinking, structure and complexity.- Spinozism.- From reason to Kant and back.- Fichte, Hegel, Kant and Spinoza.- Positivism.- Mach, Popper and Einstein.- Dialectical gravitism.- Beyond present physics.- Solitons and instantons in vacuum gauge fields.- Pregeometry.- Quantum chromodynamics.- Unified gauge fields.- Skepticism and the skeptic outlook.- Critique of Western Thought.- Crisis as constructive catalyst?.- Our universities: Are they adequate?.- A proper time to reasses priorities?.- Militarism, pacifism and the Einsteinian ethics.- Academe, power and survival.- The political philosophy of Spinoza.- Why higher education has failed.- The case for elitism and excellence.- Politics in science.- The need for philosophy in a time of crisis.- Historicism vs. theoretical physics.- Appendix I (Lecture X) A Few Historical Remarks on Time, Mind and Symmetry.- Symmetry at the dawn of science.- Time, mind and order in Hebrew and Greek antiquity.- Subjective time and causality.- Appendix II (Lecture XI) The Philosophy of Time & Change: Some Historical Notions.- Heraclitus and Plato.- Macroevolution and historicism.- Spencer.- Doomsday theories (Spengler and Toynbee).- Dialectical materialism and historicism.- Global interdependence.- Global economics and low-entropy energy resources.- Appendix III (Lecture XII) Structuralism and the Divided American Thought.- Chauncy Wright.- Pragmatism.- Operationalism.- Logical positivism.- Preoccupation with the analysis of language.- Wittgenstein.- Vienna Circle.- Structuralism.- Appendix IV (Lecture XIII) Policy and Publicity: A Critique.- Erosion of quality and abstract thinking.- Scientists as laymen.- Destruction of selectivity.- Decision-making.- Words, deeds and critics.- Unity and ideology.- Science and the media.- A vested interest in publications?.- Time and policy.- Unfunded discoveries.- Appendix V Thought-Provoking and Thought-Depressing Quotations.- Appendix VI (Lecture XIV) Critique of Western Methodology.- The decline of intelligentsia.- The search for a methodology.- The Einsteinian methodology vs. skepticism.- Ecology and interconnected thinking.
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