Quantum Field Theory as a Faithful Image of Nature

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum field theory through a philosophical lens, aiming to deepen understanding by integrating epistemology and critical reflections, making the subject more accessible and conceptually clear.

Contribution

It offers a novel approach to quantum field theory by combining mathematical rigor with philosophical insights, fostering critical thinking and clearer conceptual understanding.

Findings

Enhanced conceptual clarity of quantum field theory

Integration of epistemology with physical theory

Stimulates philosophical and scientific curiosity

Abstract

"All men by nature desire to know," states Aristotle in the famous first sentence of his Metaphysics. Knowledge about fundamental particles and interactions, that is, knowledge about the deepest aspects of matter, is certainly high if not top on the priority list, not only for physicists and philosophers. The goal of the present book is to contribute to this knowledge by going beyond the usual presentations of quantum field theory in physics textbooks, both in mathematical approach and by critical reflections inspired by epistemology, that is, by the branch of philosophy also referred to as the theory of knowledge. Hopefully, the present book motivates physicists to appreciate philosophical ideas. Epistemology and the philosophy of the evolution of science often seem to lag behind science and to describe the developments a posteriori. As philosophy here has a profound influence on the actual shaping of an image of fundamental particles and their interactions, our development should stimulate the curiosity and imagination of physicists. This book can be used as a textbook on quantum field theory for students of physics or as a monograph for philosophers and physicists interested in the epistemological foundations of particle physics. The benefits of an approach resting on philosophical foundations is twofold: the reader is stimulated to critical thinking and the entire story flows very naturally, thus removing all the mysteries from quantum field theory.