The Reign of Quantity in Contemporary Physics

In this chapter, we examine the implicit assumptions associated with a quantitative modeling framework, such as is used in contemporary physics. We will argue that, by opting to describe physical objects quantitatively, the contemporary physicist has practically restricted the scope of study in physics to those things which intrinsically admit quantitative description. In other words, a physical object, according to the contemporary understanding of the term physical, is one which is intrinsically receptive to quantitative description. We will translate this understanding of a physical object into a precise definition. This will provide us with a means of mathematically modeling a physical object itself rather than characterizing it indirectly in terms of its quantitative properties, as is done in contemporary physics. We will see that the ability to mathematically model the object itself will eventually liberate us from the yoke of quantity that exists in the exact sciences today. This liberation from quantity will prove itself of paramount importance when we later come to study living systems.