The Philosophy of Quantum Thermodynamics

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If I know something about a system is the fact that I have knowledge about it part of that system, do I decrease the entropy of a system by studying it or is that a totally hair-brained notion? The short answer is no. There's no real reason to prefer a pure state over an impure one for one's Mad Dog Everrettianism. It really does matter for physics and what we do for things.

Welcome to the May 2023 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number — based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good — and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy!

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