The Conceptual Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
International Conference Program
היפוסוליפו הירוטסיהל ןייטשלדא זכרמ
האופרהו היגולונכטה ,עדמה לש
םילשוריב תירבעה הטיסרבינואה
םיעדמה לש היפוסוליפו הירוטסיהל ןוכמה
ביבא לת הטיסרבינוא ,ןהכ ש"ע תונויערהו
םילשוריב ריל ןו ןוכמ
לע תימואלניב אנדס
תיטסיטטסה הקינכמה לש םייגשומה תודוסיה
2000 יאמב 25 - 22 ,ישימח-ינש םימי
םילשוריב ריל ןו ןוכמב
םילשורי ,43 יקסינטוב'ז בוחר
02-5605216 'לט
The Edelstein Center for the History and
Philosophy of Science, Technology and Medicine
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Cohn Institute for the History and
Philosophy of Science and Ideas
Tel Aviv University
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
International Conference on
The Conceptual Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
Monday- Thursday, May 22 - 25, 2000
at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
43 Jabotinsky Street, Jerusalem
Tel. 02-5605216
Monday, May 22, 2000
First Session (9:30-13:00)
Entropy and Information
Chair: Itamar Pitowsky
Jacob D. Bekenstein
The Limits of Information
Harvey R. Brown
Comparing the Approach to Equilibrium in Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Katinka Ridderbos
Against Coarse Graining
Lunch Break
Second Session (15:00-18:30)
Demons
Chair: Sam Schweber
David Z. Albert
The Idea of Entropy and the Possibility of Maxwellian Demons
Itamar Pitowsky
Fluctuations, Correlations and Demon Communications
John D. Norton
Exorcist XIV: the Wrath of Maxwell's Demon
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
Third Session (9:30-13:00)
Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics
Chair: Issachar Unna
Yakir Aharonov
Time in Quantum Mechanics
Jeffrey Bub
Maxwell's Demon and the Thermodynamics of Computation
Lev Vaidman
The Concept of Probability in the Many-worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics
Barry Loewer
Objective Chance and Determinism
Tour of the Old City of Jerusalem (14:00-19:00)
Meeting point at the VLJI
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Fourth Session (9:30-13:00)
Interpretation
Chair: Mark Steiner
Lawrence Sklar
The Interpretation of Theories: The Case of Statistical Mechanics
Yemima Ben-Menahem
Direction and Description
Yair Guttmann
To be announced
Lunch Break
Fifth Session (15:00-18:30)
Interventionism
Chair: Menachem Fisch
Craig Callender
The Open System and Its Enemies
Orly Shenker
Some Philosophical Remarks on Interventionism
Meir Hemmo
Quantum Decoherence and the Second Law
Thursday, May 25, 2000
Sixth Session (9:30-13:00)
Irreversibility
Chair: Giora Hon
Huw Price
The Use and Abuse of Initial Randomness
Avshalom C. Elitzur
An Intrinsic Time Arrow Independent of Initial Conditions?
Jos Uffink
Teeth and Arrows; the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Concept of Irreversibility
Lunch Break
Seventh Session (15:00-18:30)
Ergodicity and Complexity
Chair: Leo Corry
Cristopher Moore
Computational Complexity in Statistical Physics
Janneke van Lith
Ergodic Theory, Interpretations of Probability and the Foundations of Statistical Mechanics
Michael Lachmann
What does Evolution Look like when Liouville's Theorem Holds?
Farewell Dinner (20:00)
Participants
Yakir Aharonov
Tel Aviv University
David Z. Albert
Columbia University
Jacob D. Bekenstein
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Yemima Ben-Menahem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Harvey R. Brown
University of Oxford
Jeffrey Bub
University of Maryland
Craig Callender
The London School of Economics
Leo Corry
Tel Aviv University
Avshalom C. Elitzur
Bar-Ilan University
Menachem Fisch
Tel Aviv University
Yair Guttmann
Stanford University
Meir Hemmo
Haifa University
Giora Hon
Haifa University
Michael Lachmann
The Santa Fe Institute
Barry Loewer
Rutgers University
Cristopher Moore
University of New Mexico, and
The Santa Fe Institute
John D. Norton
University of Pittsburgh
Itamar Pitowsky
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Huw Price
University of Sydney
Katinka Ridderbos
Darwin College
Sam Schweber
Brandeis University
Orly Shenker
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Lawrence Sklar
University of Michigan
Mark Steiner
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Issachar Unna
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jos Uffink
Utrecht University
Lev Vaidman
Tel Aviv University
Janneke van Lith
Utrecht University