Robinson's Podcast 236 - David Albert: A Masterclass on Time’s Arrow
Dec 2, 2024
David Albert, a distinguished Philosophy Professor at Columbia University, dives into the conundrum of time’s arrow. He explores the tension between past and future in both physics and everyday life. Discover insights on entropy and thermodynamics that underline why we remember the past but not the future. David unravels the complexities of time asymmetry, discussing how the laws of quantum physics challenge our understanding and perceptions. This enlightening conversation blends philosophy and science, prompting listeners to rethink their relationship with time.
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Time's Arrow Problem
- Modern physics, since Galileo and Newton, presents a tension regarding time's direction.
- This tension arises from the conflict between fundamental physics' time-reversal symmetry and our everyday macroscopic experiences.
Billiard Ball Collision Film
- Imagine a film of billiard balls colliding: the reversed film is equally plausible physically.
- This demonstrates time-reversal symmetry, where physical laws don't distinguish between forward and reverse processes.
Three Arrows of Time
- Everyday time-directedness falls into three categories: physical processes, epistemic access, and influence.
- Examples include paper burning, remembering the past, and affecting the future, all exhibiting time asymmetry.