The Problem of Irreversibility

Abstract

After reviewing recent literature from physics and philosophy, it is concluded that we are still far from having a satisfying explanation of the nature and origins of irreversibility. It is proposed that the most fruitful approach to this problem is to concentrate on conditions needed for a rigorous derivation of the Boltzmann equation.

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John Earman
University of Pittsburgh

Citations of this work

Entropy - A Guide for the Perplexed.Roman Frigg & Charlotte Werndl - 2011 - In Claus Beisbart & Stephan Hartmann, Probabilities in Physics. Oxford, GB: Oxford University Press. pp. 115-142.
Information-Theoretic Statistical Mechanics without Landauer’s Principle.Daniel Parker - 2011 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 62 (4):831-856.
Decoherence: The View from the History and the Philosophy of Science.Amit Hagar - 2012 - Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. London A 375 (1975).
A Conceptualisation of Irreversibility for Sustainable Development.Laurent Jodoin - 2024 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 37 (3):109-126.

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