Dr Miklos Redei

The course is intended for MSc Philosophy and History of Science and MSc Philosophy of the Social Sciences. The seminar is also open to all research students.

The first term covers philosophical problems related to classical statistical mechanics; the second deals with philosophical and foundational problems of quantum mechanics.

First Term: Concepts of determinism and predictability, stability and instability, chaos and sensitive dependence on initial conditions, historical development of chaos theory, ergodic theory, non-computability in classical physics.

Second Term: Quantum mechanics as a non-commutative probability theory, interpretation of non-commutative probability, the measurement problem, uncertainty relations, EPR paradox, hidden variables, Kochen-Specker theorem, Bell's inequality, common causes and quantum correlations.

Lectures PH409.1 x 20 (MT, LT); Seminars PH409.2 10 x two-hours (MT, LT). There is also an optional research seminar in philosophy of natural science (PH551).

Students will be expected to write at least two essays per term and to give a class presentation.

Detailed reading lists will be distributed during the course.

A three-hour written examination in the ST.