Grünbaum Memorial Lecture - Wayne C. Myrvold - Causality and the Thermodynamic Arrow of Time

Wayne Myrvold (University of Western Ontario)

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our 66th Annual Lecture Series Talk. Attend in person in room 1008 in the Cathedral of Learning (10th Floor)  or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

The Annual Lecture Series, the Center’s oldest program, was established in 1960, the year when Adolf Grünbaum founded the Center. Each year the series consists of six to eight lectures, about three quarters of which are given by philosophers, historians, and scientists from other universities.

Adolf Grünbaum Memorial Lecture

Adolf Grünbaum was the first Andrew Mellon Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh from 1960, when he was hired away from Lehigh, until his death in November 2018. He was the world preeminent philosopher of physics of his generation, and he was instrumental in building philosophy and philosophy of science at Pitt. Among other things, Adolf founded the Center for Philosophy of Science in 1960, and remained its director until 1978. Adolf also inaugurated the Annual Lecture Series in 1961, and so this is the 66th occurrence of this lecture series.

His works include very important books such as Philosophical Problems of Space and Time (1963) and The Foundations of Psychoanalysis (1984). In honor and memory of his legacy of prolific and profound contributions to the field of philosophy, the Center has established an annual Adolf Grünbaum Memorial Lecture thanks to a gift from his daughter Barbara Grünbaum and her family. We are extremely grateful for this gift. We are delighted that this year the Adolf Grünbaum memorial lecture will be given by Professor Wayne Myrvold. To learn more about past speakers, use the link here: https://www.centerphilsci.pitt.edu/events-and-more/annual-lecture-series/grunbaum-memorial-lecture/

ALS – Wayne C. Myrvold (The University of Western Ontario)

Friday, March 20th @ 3:30 pm - 5:30pm EDT

1008 Cathedral of Learning 

Title:  Causality and the Thermodynamic Arrow of Time

Abstract: 

This talk is about two sorts of temporal arrows of time: causal arrows (the causes happen before the effect), and what is called the thermodynamic arrow: the tendency of systems, left to their own devices, to approach thermodynamic equilibrium, and not to depart from it.

There is extensive discussion in the physical and philosophical literature on the relations between the two arrows. There arguments that causal arrows can be understood in terms of thermodynamic arrows; a thermodynamic arrow is needed for there to be a causal arrow.

But we can also seek to explain the thermodynamic arrow. One popular avenue approach seeks to explain equilibration in terms of state-counting. Roughly, the idea is: there are simply more higher-entropy states than lower-entropy states, and so we should expect the natural tendency of things is to go from states of lower entropy to higher entropy. These sorts of arguments do not, I will argue, don’t succeed.

Another, more promising approach, explains the thermodynamic arrow in terms of causation. The difference between states that head towards equilibrium and those would head away from it is that the latter contain conspiratorial-seeming correlations between the states of molecules that are not attributable to common causes. An assumption equivalent to the absence of correlations of this sort lies at the heart, not only of Boltzmann’s derivation of the Boltzmann equation, but also of modern studies of the process of equilibration.

We seem to have two rival approaches to the relation between the thermodynamic arrow and the causal arrow: one that takes the thermodynamic arrow to be prior, and grounds the causal arrow on the thermodynamic arrow, and one that grounds the thermodynamic arrow on the causal arrow.

I will argue that these are only apparently rivals; the two arrows should not be thought of as standing in any sort of grounding, or priority relations. The thermodynamic arrow is a condition for the possibility of causal relations, and the causal arrow explains the tendency of systems to equilibrate. This is a vicious circularity only on a conception of metaphysics that, I argue, should be rejected.

Can’t make it in-person? This talk will available online through the following:

 Zoom:  TBA and 

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

A reception with light refreshments will follow in The Center on the 11th floor from 5-6pm.