Logic & Philosophy of Science

Colloquium


Guido Bacciagaluppi
Department of Philosophy
Oxford University

“Statistical Explanation in Classical and Quantum Physics”

Of the different notions of probability discussed in philosophy, objective notions seem to be more naturally applicable to physics. In classical physics, probability enters primarily in the reduction of thermodynamical phenomena (e.g., the free expansion of a gas) to statistical regularities of the underlying particle mechanics. For this purpose, a notion of probability that is based on time averages given suitable properties of the dynamics, is particular suited.

This leads to a special version of a frequentist interpretation. Quantum mechanics seems, at first, to require a very different notion of probability. On the other hand, the pilot-wave model by de Broglie and Bohm is also deterministic and can be understood in analogy to classical statistical mechanics. Thus, this statistical notion of probability is capable of dealing in a unified way with both classical and quantum physics.

Tuesday, February 16, 1999
1:00 p.m. SSPA 2112


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