April 2015 - philphysmunich

Talk by Richard Dawid at the MCMP (Wed. 29th)
by Dardashti, Radin April 27, 2015

April 27, 2015

Speaker: Richard Dawid (MCMP) Date: Wed., April 29 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 18:15 -⁠⁠ 19:45 Title: Bayesian Perspectives on the Discovery of the Higgs Particle Abstract: The history of the Higgs discovery is characterized by a specific constellation: trust in the existence of a Higgs particle was very strong already before the particle's discovery. This raises the issue of a Bayesian perspective on data analysis in high energy physics in an interesting way that differs from other contexts in the field where the deployment of Bayesian strategies was proposed.

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Talks by Milena Ivanova and Erik Curiel at MCMP (Apr. 22&23 )
by Dardashti, Radin April 20, 2015

April 20, 2015

Speaker: Milena Ivanova (MCMP) Date: Wed., April 22 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 16:15 -⁠⁠ 17:45 Title: Poincaré on Beauty in Science Abstract: This paper offers a systematic analysis of Poincaré’s understanding of beauty in science. In particular, the paper examines the epistemic significance Poincaré attributes to aesthetic judgments by reconstructing his arguments on simplicity and unity in science. I offer a consistent reconstruction of Poincaré’s account and show that while Poincaré treats simplicity as a heuristic aid, which leads to more unified theories, he takes unity to be a regulative ideal and the ultimate goal of science which gives us understanding. In conclusion I explore the link between aesthetic judgments and utility and how Poincaré’s account on scientific aesthetics fits with his overall epistemology -⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠-⁠ Speaker: Erik Curiel (MCMP) Date: Thu., April 23 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 12:15 -⁠⁠ 13:45 Title: If Metrical Structure Were Not Dynamical, Counterfactuals in General Relativity Would Be Easy (WIP Talk) Abstract: General relativity poses serious problems for counterfactual propositions peculiar to it as a physical theory, problems that have gone unremarked on in the physics and in the philosophy literature. Because these problems arise solely from the dynamical nature of spacetime geometry, they are shared by all schools of thought on how counterfactuals should be interpreted and understood. Given the role of counterfactuals in the characterization of, inter alia, many accounts of scientific laws, theory-confirmation and causation, general relativity once again presents us with idiosyncratic puzzles any attempt to analyze and understand the nature of scientific knowledge must face.

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Slides from Guido Bacciagaluppi's Talk
by Karim Thébault April 15, 2015

April 15, 2015

Dear All, Please find attached slides from Guido Bacciagaluppi's talk yesterday. Best, Karim _______________________________________________ philphysmunich mailing list philphysmunich(a)lists.lrz.de https://lists.lrz.de/mailman/listinfo/philphysmunich

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Philosophy of Physics Reading Group, Summer Term 2015: Renormalization Group Methods
by Karim Thébault April 15, 2015

April 15, 2015

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Patricia Palacios <p.p.palaci(a)gmail.com> Date: 13 April 2015 at 19:20 Subject: Philosophy of Physics Reading Group, Summer Term 2015: Renormalization Group Methods Dear all, As you might know, this term the topic of our philosophy of physics reading group will be: Renormalization group methods (RG). The idea is to discuss RG not only as they are used in condensed matter physics but also in QFT and Quantum Gravity. Of course, I don´t have in mind going into all the physical details, but I am inclined to read some physical papers as well as philosophical. I propose that we have our first meeting on Tuesday 21. and that we meet every two weeks since then. If you agree, *the first session will take place on Tuesday 21* *in E210, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1 from 16:00 to 18:00*. *Please find attached the reading for the first session*. It is a very brief introduction to RG methods that will help us to visualise the philosophical questions that we want to discuss during the term. I will elaborate a draft version of the program before our first meeting, but *it would be very nice if you could send me the readings that you want to discuss*. Very best, Patricia

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Talks by Guido Bacciagaluppi, David Wallace and Andrea Oldofredi
by Dardashti, Radin April 7, 2015

April 7, 2015

Speaker: Guido Bacciagaluppi (Aberdeen) Date: Tue., April 14 Location: Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, E210 Time: 16:00 -⁠ 18:00 Title: The Misleading Equivalence of Decoherence and Branching Abstract: Well-known theorems relating decoherence and branching suggest using the time-arrow of decoherence to explain the macroscopic branching structure of the Everettian multiverse. It is argued by general considerations and in a toy model that branching can be explained naturally also in the case of time-symmetric decoherence as a purely perspectival effect of coarse-graining over 'records' of future events. This result may impinge on the discussion of identity, uncertainty and probability in Everett. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker: Guido Bacciagaluppi (Aberdeen) Date: Thu., April 16 Location: Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, Campus Garching, MPQ, seminar room B2.46 Time: 14:00 -⁠ 15:00 Title: Leggett–Garg Inequalities, Pilot Waves and Contextuality Abstract: In this talk we first analyse Leggett and Garg's argument to the effect that macroscopic realism contradicts quantum mechanics. After making explicit all the assumptions in Leggett and Garg's reasoning, we argue against the plausibility of their auxiliary assumption of non-invasive measurability, using Bell's construction of stochastic pilot-wave theories as a counterexample. Violations of the Leggett–Garg inequality thus do not provide a good argument against macrorealism per se. We then apply Dzhafarov and Kujala's analysis of contextuality in the presence of signalling to the case of the Leggett–Garg inequalities, with rather surprising results. An analogy with pilot-wave theory again helps to clarify the situation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker: Guido Bacciagaluppi (Aberdeen) Date: Fri., April 17 Location: Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, Campus Garching, MPQ, seminar room B0.22 Time: 10:15 -⁠ 11:45 Title: Did Bohr Understand EPR? Abstract: Contrary to widespread belief, I argue that Niels Bohr's arguments in his reply to Einstein Podolsky and Rosen in 1935 take fully into account the separation between the two particles. Specifically, I argue that there is no sleight of hand in the passage from Bohr's discussion of a single particle passing through a slit and his subsequent discussion of the EPR example. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker: David Wallace (Oxford) Date: Wed., April 15 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 16:15 -⁠ 17:45 Title: Statistical mechanics from an emergentist viewpoint Abstract: I sketch a view of the philosophy of statistical mechanics as (a) concerned primarily with the interrelations between different dynamical systems describing more or less coarse-grained degrees of freedom of a system, and only secondarily with thermodynamic notions like equilibrium and entropy, and (b) informed by developments in contemporary mainstream physics. I develop, as concrete examples, (i) the projection-based approach to kinetic equations developed in the 1970s by Balescu, Prigogine, Zwanzig et al, and (ii) the relevance of quantum mechanics to nominally “classical” systems like the ideal gas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Speaker: Andrea Oldofredi (Lausanne) Date: Thu., April 16 Location: Ludwigstr. 31, ground floor, room 021 Time: 12:15 -⁠ 13:45 Title: Extensions of Bohmian Mechanics to Quantum Field Theory (WIP Talk) Abstract: The aim of this talk is twofold: firstly I will show the extensions of Bohmian Mechanics (BM) to Quantum Field Theory (QFT) pointing out virtues and limits of these models, and secondly I will discuss whether or not they are interesting alternatives to the conventional QFT. Since it is widely believed that BM cannot be extended to the realm of QFT in virtue of several no go theorems that exclude the possibility to have a particle ontology in relativistic quantum mechanics, I will show how this criticism misses the point. The severe problems that BM encounters within the relativistic framework are discussed as well. Finally, I will point out the necessity to have a clear ontology as a basic ingredient of a physical theory.

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