Action at a distance: From Newton’s gravity to quantum theory

Jansson, Lina

Abstract

Isaac Newton’s theory of gravity seems to postulate action at a distance. Two distant massive bodies act on one another gravitationally instantaneously without a causal mechanism to mediate the action. This paper will argue that a strategy found in the Principia that allows Newton’s theory to be explanatory without providing a causal explanation can be extended to the quantum case. However, while causal action at a distance can be avoided, the explanatory cost of avoiding any form of nonlocality is higher in the quantum case than in the case of Newton’s theory of universal gravitation.

Citation

Jansson, L. (2024). Action at a distance: From Newton’s gravity to quantum theory. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2877(1), Article 012075. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012075

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 14, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Nov 12, 2024
• Publication Date: Nov 12, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 13, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 2, 2025
• Journal: Journal of Physics: Conference Series
• Print ISSN: 1742-6588
• Electronic ISSN: 1742-6596
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2877
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 012075
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012075
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/42838217
• Publisher URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012075
• Additional Information: HAPP Centre: 10th Anniversary Commemorative Volume 3rd June 2024 Oxford, United Kingdom