Interpreting Bodies

A collection of essays by philosophers and scientists which provides an overview of the implications of modern physical theories for questions about the nature of objects. The text focuses on the microphysical objects at the heart of quantum physics and addresses issues central to the foundational and philosophical aspects of those objects.

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Bewildering features of modern physics, such as relativistic space-time structure and the peculiarities of so-called quantum statistics, challenge traditional ways of conceiving of objects in space and time. This text brings together essays by leading philosophers and scientists to provide an overview of the implications of such physical theories for questions about the nature of objects. The collection combines classic articles by Max Born, Werner Heisenberg, Hans Reichenbach and Erwin Schrodinger with recent contributions. The volume focuses on the microphysical objects that are at the heart of quantum physics and addresses issues central to both the "foundational" and the philosophical debates about objects. Contributors explore three subjects in particualr: how to identify a physical object as an individual, the notion of invariance with respect to determining what objects are or could be, and how to relate objective and measurable properties to a physical entity.