Immediate Distant Action and Correlation in Modern Physics: The Balanced Universe
| Author: | Pope, N. Vivian, Anthony D. Osborne and Alan F. T. Winfield | |
| Year: | 2005 | |
| Pages: | 328 | |
| ISBN: | 0-7734-6064-0 978-0-7734-6064-5 | |
| Price: | $219.95 + shipping | |
| (Click the PayPal button to buy) | ||
The author advances and extends the debate on unmediated instantaneous action and correlation at a distance. It is a coherent collection of contributions, by an international group of science scholars, resulting from a series of workshops held at the University of Wales, Swansea, in 2001 and 2002. The editors of this book share a common view that action or correlation at a distance is simply a fact of nature. From that starting point, it offers a number of different arguments, analyses and theoretical perspectives. The book does not represent the end of the debate, but rather a beginning, which could lead to a new physics and a more accurate view of nature.
Reviews
“This book is the record of a follow-up workshop to earlier discussions for and against so-called Action at a Distance. For the follow-up it was decided to bring together some of those who were ‘for,’ so as not merely to reproduce the former arguments. What is interesting, important and surprising about this is that such a selection of participants did not result in an arid overall agreement. Instead, it produced worthwhile differences to stimulate a further synthesis ... the careful argumentation in these and the other papers makes this an important source alike for those in general agreement and for those who differ.” – (from the Preface) Professor C.W. Kilmister, King’s College, London (retired)
“How do scientists conduct a debate? Alas, most of the time, they do not. The normal business of science is to proceed with an accepted paradigm about Nature, and work to a detailed knowledge of its many aspects and ramifications. It is an exceptional activity to challenge the accepted paradigm, and the techniques for doing it are rarely exercised. We have on record very few examples of such debate. This book provides one of these rare examples for study by all ... To survive a debate on paradigm, we have to behave in a civilized manner. This book is civilized. It has opinion polls, data, details, and well-considered position papers composed after the authors have heard and discussed the range of opinions. In a time when all aspects of our culture are dominated by entrenched partisans ... this is a pretty good model to adopt!” – (from the Commendatory Preface) Cynthia Kolb Whitney, Visiting Industry Professor, Tufts University Electro-Optics Technology Center
“The cultivation of alternative interpretations of accepted norms is a necessary activity in science. There must be free and open debate, and it is important to explore alternative expositions which may be needed to deal with new discoveries. These excursions into possible alternatives are generally the concern of a minority – but a necessary one ... This book explores alternatives, and in so doing shows why physics need philosophical insight and the perspective of history when assessing them ... challenges the advocates of particular expositions to justify the claims they make for them, and to give the reasons why other alternatives should be dismissed. These papers record one praiseworthy programme, promoted in this compilation which pursues this essential goal of physical science.” – Dr. M.C. Duffy, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Sunderland, UK
“How do scientists conduct a debate? Alas, most of the time, they do not. The normal business of science is to proceed with an accepted paradigm about Nature, and work to a detailed knowledge of its many aspects and ramifications. It is an exceptional activity to challenge the accepted paradigm, and the techniques for doing it are rarely exercised. We have on record very few examples of such debate. This book provides one of these rare examples for study by all ... To survive a debate on paradigm, we have to behave in a civilized manner. This book is civilized. It has opinion polls, data, details, and well-considered position papers composed after the authors have heard and discussed the range of opinions. In a time when all aspects of our culture are dominated by entrenched partisans ... this is a pretty good model to adopt!” – (from the Commendatory Preface) Cynthia Kolb Whitney, Visiting Industry Professor, Tufts University Electro-Optics Technology Center
“The cultivation of alternative interpretations of accepted norms is a necessary activity in science. There must be free and open debate, and it is important to explore alternative expositions which may be needed to deal with new discoveries. These excursions into possible alternatives are generally the concern of a minority – but a necessary one ... This book explores alternatives, and in so doing shows why physics need philosophical insight and the perspective of history when assessing them ... challenges the advocates of particular expositions to justify the claims they make for them, and to give the reasons why other alternatives should be dismissed. These papers record one praiseworthy programme, promoted in this compilation which pursues this essential goal of physical science.” – Dr. M.C. Duffy, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Sunderland, UK
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Foreword
Preface by C.W. Kilmister
1. Introduction
2. What the Swansea Workshop Was About
3. A Reiteration of Aims and Objectives - Viv Pope
4. Towards a Consensus - Anthony D. Osborne
5. A Tale of Two Paradigms - Viv Pope
6. The Evidence and Consequences of Newtonian Instantaneous Forces - Neal Graneau and Peter Graneau
7. A Perspective on Mach’s Princple and the Consequent Discovery of Major New Phenomenology in Spiral Discs - David F. Roscoe
8. A Short Essay on Closed Systems, Hierarchy and Radiation - George Galeczki
9. The Pope-Osborne Angular Momentum Synthesis - Anthony D. Osborne
10. How to Get Something From Nothing - Peter Rowlands
11. Further Developments
12. General Conclusion
Epilogue: Tribute to Alan M. Smart
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Foreword
Preface by C.W. Kilmister
1. Introduction
2. What the Swansea Workshop Was About
3. A Reiteration of Aims and Objectives - Viv Pope
4. Towards a Consensus - Anthony D. Osborne
5. A Tale of Two Paradigms - Viv Pope
6. The Evidence and Consequences of Newtonian Instantaneous Forces - Neal Graneau and Peter Graneau
7. A Perspective on Mach’s Princple and the Consequent Discovery of Major New Phenomenology in Spiral Discs - David F. Roscoe
8. A Short Essay on Closed Systems, Hierarchy and Radiation - George Galeczki
9. The Pope-Osborne Angular Momentum Synthesis - Anthony D. Osborne
10. How to Get Something From Nothing - Peter Rowlands
11. Further Developments
12. General Conclusion
Epilogue: Tribute to Alan M. Smart
Bibliography
Index