BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:talks.ox.ac.uk BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Quantum monads - Simon Saunders (University of Oxford) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170223T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170223T183000Z UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/e7afe62a-67b2-408c-b491-24ef49a31a17/ DESCRIPTION:The notion of object (and with it ontology) in the foundations of quantum mechanics has been made both too easy and too hard: too easy\, because particle distinguishability\, and with it the use of proper names \, is routinely assumed\; too hard\, because a number of metaphysical dema nds have been made of it (for example\, in the notion of ‘primitive onto logy’ in the writings of Shelly Goldstein and his collaborators). The me asurement problem is also wrapped up with it. I shall first give an accou nt of quantum objects adequate to the thin sense required of quantificatio n theory (in the tradition of Frege and Quine)\; I then consider an altern ative\, much thicker notion that is strongly reminiscent of Leibniz’s mo nadology. Both apply to the Everett interpretation and to dynamical collap se theories (sans primitive ontology).\nSpeakers:\nSimon Saunders (Univers ity of Oxford) LOCATION:Radcliffe Humanities (Lecture Room\, Second Floor)\, Woodstock Ro ad OX2 6GG TZID:Europe/London URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/e7afe62a-67b2-408c-b491-24ef49a31a17/ BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:display DESCRIPTION:Talk:Quantum monads - Simon Saunders (University of Oxford) TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Explanatory (A)symmetries and Humean Laws - Michael Hicks (Univers ity of Oxford) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170309T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170309T183000Z UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/ff010202-9980-4e73-bc68-0b3907ce8bc9/ DESCRIPTION:Recently\, Lange (2009) has argued that some physical principl es are explanatorily prior to others. Lange's main examples are symmetry p rinciples\, which he argues explain both conservation laws--through Noethe r's Theorem--and features of dynamic laws--for example\, the Lorentz inva riance of QFT. Lange calls these "meta-laws" claims that his account of la ws\, which is built around the counterfactual stability of groups of state ments\, can capture the fact that these govern or constrain first-order la ws\, whereas other views\, principally Humean views\, can't. After reviewi ng the problem Lange presents\, I'll show how the explanatory asymmetry be tween laws he describes follows naturally on a Humean understanding of wha t laws are--particularly informative summaries. The Humean should agree wi th Lange that symmetry principles are explanatorily prior to both conserva tion laws and dynamic theories like QFT\; however\, I'll argue that Lange is wrong to consider these principles "meta-laws" which in some way govern first-order laws\, and I'll show that on the Humean view\, the explanatio n of these two sorts of laws from symmetry principles is importantly diffe rent.\nSpeakers:\nMichael Hicks (University of Oxford) LOCATION:Radcliffe Humanities (Lecture Room\, Second Floor)\, Woodstock Ro ad OX2 6GG TZID:Europe/London URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/ff010202-9980-4e73-bc68-0b3907ce8bc9/ BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:display DESCRIPTION:Talk:Explanatory (A)symmetries and Humean Laws - Michael Hicks (University of Oxford) TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:How ψ-ontic are ψ-ontic models? - Ronnie Hermens (University of Oxford) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170302T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170302T183000Z UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/efc64326-86ad-40d1-925e-a7278f1c79ba/ DESCRIPTION:Ψ-ontology theorems show that in any ontic model that is able to reproduce the predictions of quantum mechanics\, the quantum state mus t be encoded by the ontic state. Since the ontic state determines what is real\, and it determines the quantum state\, the quantum state must be rea l. But how does this precisely work in detail\, and what does the result i mply for the status of the quantum state in ψ-ontic models? As a test cas e scenario I will look at the ontic models of Meyer\, Kent and Clifton. Si nce these models are able to reproduce the predictions of quantum mechanic s\, they must be ψ-ontic. On the other hand\, quantum states play no role whatsoever in the construction of these models. Thus finding out which on tic state belongs to which quantum state is a non-trivial task. But once t hat is done\, we can ask: does the quantum state play any explanatory role in these models\, or is the fact that they are ψ-ontic a mere mathematic al nicety? \nSpeakers:\nRonnie Hermens (University of Oxford) LOCATION:Radcliffe Humanities (Lecture Room\, Second Floor)\, Woodstock Ro ad OX2 6GG TZID:Europe/London URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/efc64326-86ad-40d1-925e-a7278f1c79ba/ BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:display DESCRIPTION:Talk:How ψ-ontic are ψ-ontic models? - Ronnie Hermens (Unive rsity of Oxford) TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:An anthropic explanation for the nearly equal angular diameters of the Sun and Moon. - Steven Balbus (University of Oxford) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170216T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170216T183000Z UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/e333b72a-5841-46bc-b39d-8efc4454e647/ DESCRIPTION:The very similar angular sizes of the Sun and Moon as subtende d at the Earth is generally portrayed as coincidental. In fact\, close an gular size agreement is a direct and inevitable mathematical consequence o f even roughly comparable lunar and solar tidal amplitudes. I will argue t hat the latter was a biological imperative for the evolution of land verte brates and can be understood on the basis of anthropic arguments. Compara ble tidal amplitudes from two astronomical sources\, with close but distin ct frequencies\, leads to strongly modulated forcing: in essence spring an d neap tides. This appearance of this surely very rare tidal pattern must be understood in the context of paleogeography and biology of the Late Dev onian period. Two great land masses were separated by a broad opening tape ring to a very narrow\, shallow-sea strait. The combination of this geogr aphy and modulated tidal forces would have been conducive to forming a ric h inland network of shallow but transient (and therefore isolating) tidal pools at an epoch when fishy tetrapods were evolving and acquiring land na vigational skills. I will discuss the recent fossil evidence showing that important transitional species lived in habitats strongly influenced by in termittent tides. It may be that any planet capable of harbouring a conte mplative species displays a moon in its sky very close in angular diameter to that of its sun.\nSpeakers:\nSteven Balbus (University of Oxford) LOCATION:Radcliffe Humanities (Lecture Room\, Second Floor)\, Woodstock Ro ad OX2 6GG TZID:Europe/London URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/e333b72a-5841-46bc-b39d-8efc4454e647/ BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:display DESCRIPTION:Talk:An anthropic explanation for the nearly equal angular dia meters of the Sun and Moon. - Steven Balbus (University of Oxford) TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:How multiverses might undercut the fine-tuning argument - Alastair Wilson (University of Birmingham) DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170209T163000Z DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20170209T183000Z UID:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/42d51725-173b-425b-ac3c-d9f17833d2d8/ DESCRIPTION:In the context of the probabilistic fine-tuning argument that moves from the fragility of cosmological parameters with respect to life t o the existence of a divine designer\, appealing to the existence of a mul tiverse has in general seemed problematically ad hoc. The situation looks rather different\, though\, if there is independent evidence from physics for a multiverse. I will argue that independently-motivated multiverses ca n be undercutting defeaters for the fine-tuning argument\; but whether the argument is indeed undercut still depends on open questions in fundamenta l physics and cosmology. I will also argue that Everettian quantum mechani cs opens up new routes to undercutting the fine-tuning argument\, although by itself it is insufficient to do so.\nSpeakers:\nAlastair Wilson (Unive rsity of Birmingham) LOCATION:Radcliffe Humanities (Lecture Room\, Second Floor)\, Woodstock Ro ad OX2 6GG TZID:Europe/London URL:https://talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/42d51725-173b-425b-ac3c-d9f17833d2d8/ BEGIN:VALARM ACTION:display DESCRIPTION:Talk:How multiverses might undercut the fine-tuning argument - Alastair Wilson (University of Birmingham) TRIGGER:-PT1H END:VALARM END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR