16 June 2007, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Chris Smeenk, Time’s Arrow in Electromagnetism

Readings: Earman, “Sharpening the Electromagnetic Arrow(s) of Time”.

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19 May 2007, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Malament and Callender, Foundations of Statistical Mechanics

Readings:
1. Ergodic Theory and the Success of Statistical Mechanics: Malament and
Zabell, “Why Gibbs Phase Averages Work — The Role of Ergodic
Theory,”;
Earman and Redei, “Why Ergodic Theory Does Not Explain the Success of Equilibrium Statistical
Mechanics,”
Vranas, “Epsilon-Ergodicity and the Success of Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics”

2. Typicality and Equilibrium in neo-Boltzmannian Accounts: Frigg, “Typicality and the Approach
to Equilibrium in Boltzmannian Statistical Mechanics”

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7 April 2007, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Bob Geroch, Computation and Physics

Readings: Section 15 of Computation, Quantum and Otherwise on the Grover Construction (lecture notes by Geroch), also section 16 (time permitting)

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10 March 2007, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Tilman Sauer and Ioan Muntean, Unified Field Theory

Readings: To be circulated.

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28 January 2007 (Sunday), 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Chris Wüthrich, Loop Quantum Cosmology

Readings: Chris Wüthrich, PhD Thesis, Chapters 7-8; Martin Bojowald, “Loop Quantum Cosmology,” Living Reviews in
Relativity; Ashtekar, Bojowald, and Lewandowski, “Mathematical Structure of Loop Quantum
Cosmology” Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics 2003.

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2 December 2006, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: John Manchak, Gödel Spacetime

Readings: David Malament, “Time Travel in the Gödel Universe,” PSA 1984; “Minimal Acceleration Requirements for Time Travel in Gödel Spacetime,” JMP 1985; “A Note about CTCs in Gödel Spacetime,” JMP 1987.

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21 October 2006, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic: Batterman’s Devil in the Details

Readings:

Batterman, The Devil in the Details (Chapter 4, Chapter 6); Gordon Belot, “Whose Devil? Which Details?”; Batterman, “Response to Belot”

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30 September 2006, 3:00pm, LPS seminar room

Topic:

1. Matt Brown, Rovelli’s Relational Interpretation of QM

2. Katherine Peters,
Harvey Brown’s Physical Relativity

Readings:

1. Rovelli, “Relational Quantum Mechanics,” ; Matt Brown, “Relational Quantum Mechanics and the Determinacy
Problem,” Laudisa and Rovelli, “Relational Quantum Mechanics.”

2. Selections from Physical Relativity (pp. 1-10, 119-134, 139-143)

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