Foundations of Statistical Mechanics

Thanks to everyone who make the workshop a success!

The workshop will mostly focus on issues raised in David Albert's Time and Chance. Topics will range over the philosophical foundations of statistical mechanics, the nature of probability, the direction of time, experience and causal influence. Participants will include David Albert, Valia Allori, Craig Callender, Adam Elga, Mathias Frisch, Shelly Goldstein, Nick Huggett, Jenann Isamel, Doug Kutach, Chris Meacham, Alyssa Ney, Jill North, Sarah Scott, Michael Strevens, Brad Weslake, Eric Winsberg, and Nino Zanghi.

The workshop will take place May 13th and 14th in the Seminar Room (128-129) of Davison Hall on Douglass Campus at the Rutgers Philosophy Department. (Parking will be available behind the philosophy department in lot 70.)
Visiting participants will stay at the University Inn.
There will be a dinner on May 13th at Pad Thai (if you are not an official participant and are interested in attending dinner, please contact Heather).
There is a separate Statistical Mechanics Conference taking place at the Rutgers math department May 10-12.
Papers will be posted below and participants are expected to read them in advance.

Wednesday, May 13th:

9:30am Coffee and Introduction
10:00am David Albert: "Physics and Chance"
11:00am Nick Huggett: "The Past Hypothesis and the Knowledge Asymmetry"
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Craig Callender: "The Past Histories of Molecules"
3:00pm Mathias Frisch: "Does a Low Entropy Constraint Prevent us from Influencing the Past?"
4:30pm Eric Winsberg: "Laws and Chances in Statistical Mechanics"
7:00pm Dinner at Pad Thai

Thursday, May 14th:

9:30am Coffee
10:00am Jenann Ismael: "A Modest Proposal about Chance"
11:30am Lunch
1:00pm Michael Strevens: "Why the Statistical Mechanical Probabilities are Neither Necessary nor Sufficient to Explain the Special Sciences"
2:30pm Nino Zanghi: "Cournot's Principle and the Nature of Physical Theory"
4:00pm Brad Weslake: "Initial Conditions, Laws and Explanation"
5:30pm Drinks and Reception

Interactive map: Schedule and information to print:

For more information please contact Barry Loewer or Heather Demarest.

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