BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Grails iCalendar plugin//NONSGML Grails iCalendar plugin//EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20240328T212457Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Budapest:20220211T163000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Budapest:20220211T180000 SUMMARY:The Principle of Least Action and Teleological Explanation in Physics UID:20240328T212457Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@philevents-web-6f97df9687-7c6q9 TZID:Europe/Budapest LOCATION:Budapest\, Hungary DESCRIPTION:
Variational principles present a prima facie challenge to the usual mode of causal explanation in physics. Historically\, one such principle&mdash\;the Principle of Least Action (PLA)&mdash\;has been influential as a potential example of the (re-)introduction of teleology into physics. A contemporary response rests on the derivation of PLA as a limiting case from the Feynman Path Integral (FPI) approach to quantum field theory. If PLA can be derived from FPI\, so the story goes\, and the latter is non-teleological\, then any apparent introduction of teleology by PLA is avoided. In this talk\, I push back against this line of thought: the derivation of PLA from FPI as a limiting case does not undermine PLA as an autonomous explanatory principle. This means that it remains as an interesting case of non-causal explanation.
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