Probability in Deterministic Physics

Along with philosophers, physics textbooks also standardly assert that it is only with the advent of quantum mechanics where the dynamical laws take an explicitly probabilistic form that probability has to be taken seriously as part of the objective content of the theory. Barry Loewer, David Albert,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of philosophy 2009-02, Vol.106 (2), p.89-108
Main Author: Ismael, J. T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cubes
Determinism
Entropy
Epistemology. Philosophy of science. Theory of knowledge
Information legislation
Philosophy
Physical theory
Physics
Probabilities
Probability
Probability distributions
Quantum theory
Theory
Trajectories
Volume
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Summary:Along with philosophers, physics textbooks also standardly assert that it is only with the advent of quantum mechanics where the dynamical laws take an explicitly probabilistic form that probability has to be taken seriously as part of the objective content of the theory. Barry Loewer, David Albert, and others have been laboring to obtain recognition for the objective character of the probabilities given in the microcanonical probability distribution in Statistical Mechanics, and Elliott Sober has argued for the recognition of objective macroprobabilities. But these have not gained a wide recognition for the role of probability quite generally. Here, Ismael argues from general considerations that any theory capable of receiving confirmation from the evidence or generating expectation in a realistic setting incorporates a measure over state space as an indispensable component of its objective content.
ISSN:0022-362X
1939-8549
DOI:10.5840/jphil2009106214