When we do (and do not) have a classical arrow of time

Philosophy of Science 80 (5):1112-1124 (2013)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

I point out that some common folk wisdom about time reversal invariance in classical mechanics is strictly incorrect, by showing some explicit examples in which classical time reversal invariance fails, even among conservative systems. I then show that there is nevertheless a broad class of familiar classical systems that are time reversal invariant.

Categories

Keywords

Reprint years

DOI

10.1086/674001

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,219

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

My notes

Similar books and articles

About the confusion between the course of time and the arrow of time.Étienne Klein - 2007 - Foundations of Science 12 (3):203-221.
The Universal Arrow of Time.Oleg Kupervasser, Hrvoje Nikolić & Vinko Zlatić - 2012 - Foundations of Physics 42 (9):1165-1185.
The arrow of time in classical electrodynamics.Fritz Rohrlich - unknown
Causality and the arrow of classical time.Fritz Rohrlich - 2000 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 31 (1):1-13.
Zagzebski on the arrow of time.Hugh Rice - 2005 - Faith and Philosophy 22 (3):363-369.
Comment on Fritz Rohrlich's "causality and the arrow of classical time".Carlo Rovelli - unknown
The arrow of time in cosmology.Mario Castagnino, Olimpia Lombardi & Luis Lara - unknown
Absolute Becoming, Relational Becoming, and the Arrow of Time.Mauro Dorato - unknown - Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics.
The arrow of time in quantum gravity.Chuang Liu - 1993 - Philosophy of Science 60 (4):619-637.
Does a Computer Have an Arrow of Time?Owen J. E. Maroney - 2010 - Foundations of Physics 40 (2):205-238.
Time's Arrow and Irreversibility in Time‐Asymmetric Quantum Mechanics.Mario Castagnino, Manuel Gadella & Olimpia Lombardi - 2005 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 19 (3):223 – 243.

Analytics

Added to PP
2013-11-06

Downloads
50 (#304,573)

6 months
7 (#350,235)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Bryan W. Roberts
London School of Economics

Citations of this work

Asymmetry, Abstraction, and Autonomy: Justifying Coarse-Graining in Statistical Mechanics.Katie Robertson - 2020 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 71 (2):547-579.
Time Reversal.Bryan W. Roberts - 2022 - In Eleanor Knox & Alastair Wilson (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Physics. London, UK: Routledge.
Reversing the arrow of time.Bryan W. Roberts - 2022 - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
When to defer to supermajority testimony — and when not.Christian List - 2014 - In Jennifer Lackey (ed.), Essays in Collective Epistemology. Oxford University Press. pp. 240-249.

View all 9 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

Is classical mechanics really time-reversible and deterministic?Keith Hutchison - 1993 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 44 (2):307-323.
The metaphysics of time reversal: Hutchison on classical mechanics.Craig Callender - 1995 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 46 (3):331-340.

Add more references