Handedness, parity violation, and the reality of space

Pooley, Oliver (2001) Handedness, parity violation, and the reality of space.

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Abstract

In the first part of this paper a relational account of incongruent counterparts is defended against an argument due to Kant. I then consider a more recent attack on such an account, due to John Earman, which alleges that the relationalist cannot account for the lawlike left--right asymmetry manifested in parity-violating phenomena. I review Hoefer's, Huggett's and Saunders' responses to Earman's argument and argue that, while a relationalist account of parity-violating laws is possible, it comes at the cost of non-locality.

Keywords:	incongruent counterparts, parity violation, substantivalism, relationalism, space, Kant, Earman
Subjects:	Specific Sciences: Physics Specific Sciences: Physics: Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences: Physics: Relativity Theory
ID Code:	713
Deposited By:	Pooley, Oliver
Deposited On:	05 August 2002

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