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What Is A Newtonian System? The Failure Of Energy Conservation And Determinism In Supertasks

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Abstract

Supertasks recently discussed in the literature purport to display a failure ofenergy conservation and determinism in Newtonian mechanics. We debatewhether these supertasks are admissible as Newtonian systems, with Earmanand Norton defending the affirmative and Alper and Bridger the negative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, U.S.A.

    J. S. Alper & M. Bridger

  2. Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, U.S.A.

    J. Earman

  3. Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, U.S.A.

    J. D. Norton

Authors
  1. J. S. Alper
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  2. M. Bridger
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  3. J. Earman
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  4. J. D. Norton
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Alper, J.S., Bridger, M., Earman, J. et al. What Is A Newtonian System? The Failure Of Energy Conservation And Determinism In Supertasks. Synthese 124, 281–293 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005257429769

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005257429769

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