Physics without Physis: On Form and Teleology in Modern Science

Oliver, Simon A.

Physics without Physis: On Form and Teleology in Modern Science

Oliver, Simon A.

Authors

Professor Simon Oliver simon.oliver@durham.ac.uk
Canon Professor

Abstract

Physics is often regarded as the most fundamental natural science. In its modern guise, it is concerned with matter, energy, and their interrelation over time and through space. Experimental physics deals with observations and measurements of the smallest and greatest dimensions of the universe. This blends with theoretical physics, which develops abstract mathematical models to explain experimental findings, proffering speculative possibilities concerning the workings of physical systems. As experimental technologies develop, so the overlap between experimental and theoretical physics increases; previously abstract and speculative models become empirically testable. While the possibility of reducing the other natural sciences to physics without remainder is now credible only among the most hardened of materialists, modern physics remains the quintessential science of nature (physis). It apparently delivers fundamental and comprehensive knowledge of the cosmos, from the subatomic quantum realm to the furthest reaches of space and time.

Citation

Oliver, S. A. (2020). Physics without Physis: On Form and Teleology in Modern Science. Communio (Spokane, Wash.), 46(Fall-Winter 2019), 442-469

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Mar 27, 2020
Online Publication Date	Jun 1, 2020
Publication Date	2020
Deposit Date	Jun 19, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Jun 26, 2020
Journal	Communio
Print ISSN	0094-2065
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	46
Issue	Fall-Winter 2019
Pages	442-469
Publisher URL	https://www.communio-icr.com/articles/view/physics-without-physis-on-form-and-teleology-in-modern-science