Critical Notice

Author: Butterfield J.

Source: British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Volume 53, Number 2, June 2002 , pp. 289-330(42)

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Abstract:

This review of Julian Barbour's The End of Time ([1999]) discusses his Machian theories of dynamics, and his proposal that a Machian perspective enables one to solve the problem of time in quantum geometrodynamics, viz. by saying that there is no time!

1 Introduction

2 Machian themes in classical physics

2.1 The status quo

2.2 Machianism

2.2.1 The temporal metric as emergent

2.2.2 Machian theories

2.2.3 Assessing intrinsic dynamics

3 The end of time?

3.1 Time unreal? The classical case

3.1.1 Spontaneity

3.1.2 Barbour's vision: time capsules

3.2 Evidence from quantum physics?

3.2.1 Mott scattering as a model for time capsules

3.2.2 Solving the problem of time?

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjps/53.2.289

Publication date: 2002-06-01

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For over fifty years The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science has published the best international work in the philosophy of science under a distinguished list of editors including A. C. Crombie, Mary Hesse, Imre Lakatos, D. H. Mellor and David Papineau.