Two Views on Time Reversal

North, Jill

doi:10.1086/590199

Cited by 43 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The question that arises here is what such an alternative formal representation of time reversal would be. Some authors (see [1,25], and, partially, [26]) have argued that time reversal should be represented merely by turning time's sign around, t → −t. How other magnitudes behave under it should supervene on changing t by t. Interestingly, under so defined unitary time -reversal operator, Schrodinger equation is non -time -reversal invariant in as much as it leads to itH = −itTHT −1 and thus to THT −1 = −H.…”

Section: Interpreting Time Reversalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking for a Fundamental Quantum Arrow of Time: Time Reversal and the Symmetry-To-Reality Inference in Standard Quantum Mechanics

López

2018

Front. Phys.

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In this paper I shall shed some doubts on a widely-held claim: standard quantum mechanics is time-reversal invariant, and thereby, blind to the direction of time. Building bridges between physics and philosophy, I shall argue that such a claim features some puzzling assumptions that are frequently overlooked in the literature. In particular, I shall first argue that the claim involves some methodological and metaphysical commitments that should be evaluated more prudently from philosophy and from physics. Second, I shall point out that the common inference that goes from symmetry to metaphysical conclusions needs some correction and refinement to be acceptable for time symmetry and the debate around the arrow of time.

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Section: Interpreting Time Reversalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking for a Fundamental Quantum Arrow of Time: Time Reversal and the Symmetry-To-Reality Inference in Standard Quantum Mechanics

López

2018

Front. Phys.

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“…Frisch (2014) discusses Maudlin's views about the metaphysics of time but does not attribute an original account of the thermodynamic asymmetry to him. North (2008) mentions the view in a footnote. Loewer (2012, 133-34) questions whether an intrinsic direction of time in Maudlin's sense can help explain the thermodynamic asymmetry.…”

Section: §1 Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fundamentality and Time’s Arrow

Loew¹

2018

Philos. of Sci.

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The distribution of matter in our universe is strikingly time asymmetric. Most famously, the Second Law of Thermodynamics says that entropy tends to increase toward the future but not toward the past. But what explains this time-asymmetric distribution of matter? In this paper, I explore the idea that time itself has a direction by drawing from recent work on grounding and metaphysical fundamentality. I will argue that positing such a direction of time, in addition to time-asymmetric boundary conditions (such as the so-called "past hypothesis"), enables a better explanation of the thermodynamic asymmetry than is available otherwise.

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“…Nonetheless, it should be noted thatNorth (2008) argues, even if in a different context, that the source of disagreement betweenAlbert (2000) andMalament (2004) about the time-reversibility of classical electrodynamics is indeed that they endorse two different notion of time-reversal transformation. However, see Allori (2015b) for a discussion.…”

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confidence: 99%

Quantum mechanics, time and ontology

Allori

2019

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in

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Against what is commonly accepted in many contexts, it has been recently suggested that both deterministic and indeterministic quantum theories are not time-reversal invariant, and thus time is handed in a quantum world. In this paper, I analyze these arguments and evaluate possible reactions to them. In the context of deterministic theories, first I show that this conclusion depends on the controversial assumption that the wave-function is a physically real scalar field in configuration space. Then I argue that answers which restore invariance by assuming the wave-function is a ray in Hilbert space fall short. Instead, I propose that one should deny that the wave-function represents physical systems, along the lines proposed by the so-called primitive ontology approach. Moreover, in the context of indeterministic theories, I argue that time-reversal invariance can be restored suitably redefining its meaning.

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Two Views on Time Reversal

Cited by 43 publications

References 10 publications

Seeking for a Fundamental Quantum Arrow of Time: Time Reversal and the Symmetry-To-Reality Inference in Standard Quantum Mechanics

Seeking for a Fundamental Quantum Arrow of Time: Time Reversal and the Symmetry-To-Reality Inference in Standard Quantum Mechanics

Fundamentality and Time’s Arrow

Quantum mechanics, time and ontology

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