[PhilPhys] Lisbon-Warsaw Reading Group in the Philosophy of Physics (online) - Eddy Keming Chen

[Antonio Vassallo]

(With apologies for cross-posting)

In the next reading group meeting, Eddy Keming Chen (University of
California San Diego) will join us to discuss his paper “The Wentaculus:
Density Matrix Realism Meets the Arrow of Time” (abstract below).

The meeting will be online on Zoom on 7 November (17:00-19:00 CET).

If you are not a reading group member, you can sign up here
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VTghzEVi0GrcBD9K4uT1I7KjDN5G7OKDc9ymVjqZdZ0>.


The reading group is jointly organized by the LanCog group at the
University of Lisbon and the Philosophy of Physics group at the Warsaw
University of Technology.

You can address any query to Antonio Vassallo (antonio.vassallo at pw.edu.pl)

The organizers,
Andrea Oldofredi
Davide Romano
Antonio Vassallo

Abstract: Two of the most difficult problems in the foundations of physics
are (1) what gives rise to the arrow of time and (2) what the ontology of
quantum mechanics is. They are difficult because the fundamental dynamical
laws of physics do not privilege an arrow of time, and the
quantum-mechanical wave function describes a high-dimensional reality that
is radically different from our ordinary experiences. In this paper, I
characterize and elaborate on the ''Wentaculus'' theory, a new approach to
time's arrow in a quantum universe that offers a unified solution to both
problems. Central to the Wentaculus are (i) Density Matrix Realism, the
idea that the quantum state of the universe is objective but can be impure,
and (ii) the Initial Projection Hypothesis, a new law of nature that
selects a unique initial quantum state. On the Wentaculus, the quantum
state of the universe is sufficiently simple to be a law, and the arrow of
time can be traced back to an exact boundary condition. It removes the
intrinsic vagueness of the Past Hypothesis, eliminates the Statistical
Postulate, provides a higher degree of theoretical unity, and contains a
natural realization of ''strong determinism.'' I end by responding to four
recent objections. In a companion paper, I elaborate on Density Matrix
Realism.
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