David Hilbert's Lectures on the Foundations of Physics
David Hilbert's Lectures on the Foundations of Physics : Volume 5 has three parts, dealing with General Relativity, Epistemological Issues, and Quantum Mechanics. The core of the first part is Hilbertâs two semester lecture course on âThe Foundations of Physicsâ (). This is framed by Hilbertâs published âFirst and Second Communicationsâ on the âFoundations of Physicsâ () and by a selection of documents dealing with more specific topics like âThe Principle of Causalityâ or a lecture on the new concepts of space and time held in Bucharest in . The epistemological issues concern the intricate relation between nature and mathematical knowledge, in particular the question of irreversibility and objectivity () as well as the subtle question whether what Hilbert calls the âworld equationsâ are physically complete (). The last part deals with quantum theory in its early, advanced and mature stages. Hilbert held lecture courses on the mathematical foundations of quantum theory twice, before and after the breakthrough in . These documents bear witness to one of the most dramatic changes in the foundations of science.