The Metaphysics Within Physics
Abstract
What does physics tell us about metaphysics? Tim Maudlin's philosophical examination of the fundamental structure of the world as presented by physics challenges the most widely accepted philosophical accounts of laws of nature, universals the direction of time and causation.
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According to Maudlinian Primitivism, there is a fundamental distinction between past and future that is not reducible to the entropic arrow of time, the distribution of matter in the universe, or special boundary conditions.
“According to Maudlinian Primitivism, there is a fundamental distinction between past and future that is not reducible to entropic arrow of time, the distribution of matter in the universe, or special boundary conditions.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
Maudlin is committed to primitivism about the direction of time: the distinction between past and future is metaphysically fundamental and not reducible to anything else.
“Maudlin is also committed to primitivism about the direction of time: that the distinction between past and future is metaphysically fundamental and not reducible to anything else.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
Maudlin's Non-Humean Package combines primitivism about laws of temporal evolution and primitivism about the direction of time.
“Maudlin combines the two commitments into a metaphysical package: Let's call the idea that both the laws of physics (as laws of temporal evolution) and the direction of time are ontological primitives Maudlin's Non-Humean Package.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
For Maudlin, laws produce or generate later states of the world from earlier ones.
“For Maudlin, laws produce or generate later states of the world from earlier ones.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
The possibility of CTCs is precluded by Maudlinian Primitivism, since they may lead to an event that dynamically produces itself.
“But the possibility of CTCs is precluded by Maudlinian Primitivism, since they may lead to an event that dynamically produces itself (Maudlin, 2007, p.175).”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007, p.175
Many see the lack of ultimate explanation on Humean Reductionism as a problem for the view.
“Many see this as a problem for the view.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007, p.172
On Humean Reductionism, that world is one where the simplest summary is just Special Relativity, and it is impossible to have such a world where the law is the Einstein equation.
“However, on Humean Reductionism, that world is one where the simplest summary is just Special Relativity, and it is impossible to have such a world where the law is the Einstein equation (Maudlin, 2007, pp. 67-68).”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007, pp. 67-68
For laws to produce, they operate according to the fundamental direction of time, providing an intuitive picture close to our pre-theoretic conception of the world.
“For laws to produce, they operate according to the fundamental direction of time, providing an intuitive picture close to our pre-theoretic conception of the world:”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
For Maudlin, dynamic production is essential, and every fundamental law needs to have the form of a dynamical law (FLOTE) that can be interpreted as evolving later states of the universe from earlier ones.
“For Maudlin, dynamic production is essential, and every fundamental law needs to have the form of a dynamical law (in the narrow sense of a FLOTE) that can be interpreted as evolving later states of the universe from earlier ones.”
From Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature (2022) · cites this paper as Maudlin, 2007
There appear to be worlds that match in their mosaics but differ in their laws.
“But this appears to be false; there appear to be worlds that match in their mosaics but differ in their laws.”
From Nomothetic Explanation and Humeanism about Laws of Nature (2020) · cites this paper as Maudlin (2007, pp. 67-68)
Humeanism conflicts with scientific practice over what is fundamental.
“So Humeanism conflicts with scientific practice over what is fundamental. Call this the non-fundamentality objection .”
From Nomothetic Explanation and Humeanism about Laws of Nature (2020) · cites this paper as Maudlin (2007, p. 105)
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Humean Reductionism about Laws of Nature
Hall, N. (2015) · A Companion to David Lewis · doi:10.1002/9781118398593.ch17 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Grounding, scientific explanation, and Humean laws
Lange, M. (2013) · Philosophical Studies · doi:10.1007/s11098-012-0001-x · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Physical Causation and Difference-Making
Ney, A. (2009) · The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science · doi:10.1093/bjps/axp037 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Nomothetic Explanation and Humeanism about Laws of Nature
Bhogal, H. (2020) · Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Volume 12 · doi:10.1093/oso/9780192893314.003.0006 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Governing Without A Fundamental Direction of Time: Minimal Primitivism about Laws of Nature
Chen, E. K., & Goldstein, S. (2022) · Jerusalem Studies in Philosophy and History of Science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-96775-8_2 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
“This has been much discussed in the literature (see for example Carroll (1994) and Maudlin (2007)).”
BackgroundInfluentialDoes the counterfactual theory of explanation apply to non-causal explanations in metaphysics?
Reutlinger, A. (2017) · European Journal for Philosophy of Science · doi:10.1007/s13194-016-0155-z · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Skeptical notes on a physics of passage
Huggett, N. (2014) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/nyas.12514 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
The nomological argument for the existence of God
Hildebrand, T., & Metcalf, T. (2022) · Noûs · doi:10.1111/nous.12364 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
The Past Hypothesis and the Nature of Physical Laws
Chen, E. K. (2020) · arXiv · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2008.00611 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“s of non-Humean theories: 1.Primitivism: fundamental laws are primitive facts in the world. 2. Reductionism: fundamental laws are analyzed in terms of something outside the mosaic. Carroll (1994) and Maudlin (2007) maintain primitivist versions of non-Humeanism. Hildebrand (2013) provides a survey of the reductionist…”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
- Authors
- Maudlin, T.
- Corresponding author
- Maudlin, Tim
- ORCID
- Maudlin, Tim
- Venue
- Oxford University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- 2007-04-19
- OpenAlex
- W1522516632
- Cited by
- 1,293
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 83 · 2025: 103 · 2024: 83 · 2023: 87 · 2022: 162 · 2021: 119 · 2020: 125 · 2019: 148 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 51 · 2016: 56 · 2015: 45 · 2014: 42 · 2013: 50 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 30.09
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oxford University Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Libraries (Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), l'Université de Namur (UNamur) and the Université Saint-Louis (USL-B)) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy, Science, and History
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Keywords
- metaphysics, philosophy of physics, laws of nature, universals, direction of time, causality
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