Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics, Second Edition [Paperback]

Tim Maudlin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631232214 | ISBN-13: 978-0631232216 | Publication Date: February 11, 2002 | Edition: 2

Modern physics was born from two great revolutions: relativity and the quantum theory. Relativity imposed a locality constraint on physical theories: since nothing can go faster than light, very distant events cannot influence one another. Only in the last few decades has it become clear that the quantum theory violates this constraint. The work of J.S. Bell has demonstrated that no local theory can return the predictions of quantum theory. Thus it would seem that the central pillars of modern physics are contradictory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Maudlin's book is outstanding, and is particularly remarkable for three central achievements: the clearest exposition of Bell's theorem I know of; a careful discussion of the (in)compatibility between the implications of that theorem and relativity; and astute suggestions for how one could deal with this problem. Maudlin is a professional philosopher who writes on this most fundamental issue of physics in a way that is far clearer than the work of most physicists." Jean Bricmont, University of Louvain

Review

"Maudlin's book is outstanding, and is particularly remarkable for three central achievements: the clearest exposition of Bell's theorem I know of; a careful discussion of the (in)compatibility between the implications of that theorem and relativity; and astute suggestions for how one could deal with this problem. Maudlin is a professional philosopher who writes on this most fundamental issue of physics in a way that is far clearer than the work of most physicists."
–Jean Bricmont, University of Louvain

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (February 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631232214
• ISBN-13: 978-0631232216
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lucid survey of the implications of Bell's Theorem, March 10, 2002

By 

Chris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics, Second Edition (Paperback)

It's no coincidence that those writing the clearest books in the philosophy of physics are also those doing the best work in the field. Maudlin's book is a perfect example of this. It is also remarkably self-sufficient, providing a review of special relativity, and a brief and lucid presentation of the foundations of quantum mechanics in the appendix. As a result, it should be readable by anyone with a high school education. Those already familiar with the physics and/or the issues may want to skip parts, though I should note that I found a couple hidden gems regarding things I was unfamiliar with or mistaken about even in the introductory sections.

The bulk of the book examines whether and to what extent quantum mechanics entails four superluminal phenomena often taken to be ruled out by relativity: superluminal matter transport, superluminal signaling, superluminal causation and superluminal information transfer. Maudlin convincingly argues that only the latter two of these are entailed by quantum phenomena. The book ends with an critical examination of the various theories put forward to circumvent these difficulties, and provides a brief discussion of how these issues hold up when we move to General Relativity and Quantum Field Theory.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal Clear, August 12, 2005

By 

Travis Norsen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics, Second Edition (Paperback)

There are many books which discuss the issue of quantum non-locality and discuss its connections to relativity theory. The vast majority of them, however, are either un-serious popular pap, or serious tomes written by professional philosophers who are at least as confused as the authors of the pap.

Maudlin's book stands out like a beacon of light in this fog of confusion and muddle-headedness. It is accessible to anyone with a basic high-school education in math and physics, yet surpasses the vast majority of technical papers on this subject in depth, clarity, and (most importantly) correctness. If you want to understand the issue of non-locality that makes some people worry so much about quantum theory and its consistency with relativity, read this book -- study this book -- and this holds whether you are a Joe Schmoe off the street or a famous Professor from (say) Boston University.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maudlin. A Great Teacher, January 5, 2006

By 

John Warwick "Your Pal" (Malvern, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics, Second Edition (Paperback)

In this delightful read, Maudlin goes through an array of topics revolving around non-locality, relativity, and the mathematics involved. However, although I didn't find any "new" ideas in the text, I was amazed at how quickly & clearly he explained the said topics. Without exaggerating, in 80 pages of this book I attained what had taken me an entire stack of now useless books on quantum physics (particularly Bell's theorem), relativity, linear algebra, and philosophy(don't read Philosophy of Physics by Lange, you'll get it all out of this)

Anyone who has a prior introduction to Quantum theory will love this. I'd suggest Quantum Reality by Herbert, But there are lots of good ones out there.