Probabilities, causes and propensities in physics : [some of the papers collected in this volume were first presented in draft outline at a workshop ... organised at Complutense University in Madrid in October 2006

This Volume Defends A Novel Approach To The Philosophy Of Physics: It Is The First Book Devoted To A Comparative Study Of Probability, Causality, And Propensity, And Their Various Interrelations, Within The Context Of Contemporary Physics -- Particularly Quantum And Statistical Physics. The Philosophical Debates And Distinctions Are Firmly Grounded Upon Examples From Actual Physics, Thus Exemplifying A Robustly Empiricist Approach. The Essays, By Both Prominent Scholars In The Field And Promising Young Researchers, Constitute A Pioneer Effort In Bringing Out The Connections Between Probabilistic, Causal And Dispositional Aspects Of The Quantum Domain. The Book Will Appeal To Specialists In Philosophy And Foundations Of Physics, Philosophy Of Science In General, Metaphysics, Ontology Of Physics Theories, And Philosophy Of Probability.--publisher Description. Four Theses On Probabilities, Causes, Propensities / Maruicio Suárez -- Probability And Time Symmetry In Classical Markov Processes / Guido Bacciagaluppi -- Probability Assignments And The Principle Of Indifference: An Examination Of Two Eliminative Strategies / Sorin Bangu -- Why Typicality Does Not Explain The Approach To Equilibrium / Roman Frigg -- From Metaphysics To Physics And Back: The Example Of Causation / Federico Laudisa -- On Explanation In Retro-causal Interpretations Of Quantum Mechanics / Joseph Berkovitz -- Causal Completeness In General Probability Theories / Balasz Gyenis, Miklós Rédei -- Causal Markov, Robustness And The Quantum Correlations / Mauricio Suárez, Iñaki San Pedro -- Do Dispositions And Propensities Have A Role In The Ontology Of Quantum Mechanics? Some Critical Remarks / Mauro Dorato -- Is The Quantum World Composed Of Propensitons? / Nicholas Maxwell -- Derivative Dispositions And Multiple Generative Levels / Ian Thompson. Edited By Mauricio Suárez. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Four Theses on Probabilities, Causes, Propensities....Pages 1-37 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 Probability and Time Symmetry in Classical Markov Processes....Pages 41-59 Probability Assignments and the Principle of Indifference. An Examination of Two Eliminative Strategies....Pages 61-76 Why Typicality Does Not Explain the Approach to Equilibrium....Pages 77-93 Front Matter....Pages 95-95 From Metaphysics to Physics and Back: the Example of Causation....Pages 97-113 On Explanation in Retro-causal Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics....Pages 115-155 Causal Completeness in General Probability Theories....Pages 157-171 Causal Markov, Robustness and the Quantum Correlations....Pages 173-193 Front Matter....Pages 195-195 Do Dispositions and Propensities Have a Role in the Ontology of Quantum Mechanics? Some Critical Remarks....Pages 197-219 Is the Quantum World Composed of Propensitons?....Pages 221-243 Derivative Dispositions and Multiple Generative Levels....Pages 245-257 Back Matter....Pages 259-264