…are completely specified, then our description of the physical process is guaranteed to have determinate values at any given time. The wave-function description of the measurement processes is *not* guaranteed to have determinate values at any given time. All physical processes are governed by the same fundamental physical laws (and hence by equally deterministic equations of motion). So, since Schrödinger evolution is governed by deterministic l…
Read more…author and reviewer, when everyone has access to the interwebs? An anonymized online interface would be quicker, easier, and more useful. In particular, it would allow for quick clarificatory questions, and even back-and-forth discussions of important results between author and reviewer, before a finalized report is submitted to the editor. Incentives for high-quality reviews. Most journals don’t offer you an incentive to do a good job in a timely…
Read more…ne that, in its essence, consists of relations among models and cannot be reduced to the interpretation of a single model. Thus, the simple aggregation of the meaning of all individual models does not exhaust the semantic content of a theory. Erik Curiel is a philosopher at London School of Economics, specializing in philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, and ancient philosophy. For more on Curiel’s work, visit his homepage. Soul Physics is…
Read more…, cut to the chase and check out this meticulous list of philosophers with online papers, compiled by David Chalmers. Go to the Library. The what? Yes, the library. It’s still the easiest way to get free books to read. Some libraries will even send books to you in the mail for free. Here’s how to find a public library in your area. Or, visit your local University’s library for an even grander selection. Buy very, very cheap books. Ok, so this one’…
Read more…of time reversal invariance: What we know about when a physical system is guaranteed to be temporally symmetric, and what’s special about the physical systems that enjoy this property. The simple failure of Curie’s principle: Illustration of how Curie’s principle fails for time reversal, and a discussion of possible replacements. T-violation and the origin of time asymmetry: A classification of the known ways of testing for time asymmetry (aka T-…
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