Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 4: Classical Mechanics and Causation

AGPhil 4.2: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 17:30–18:10, JUR G

Aspects of Causation in Classical Physics — •Sheldon Smith — Dept. of Philosophy, UCLA 379, Dodd Hall 405, Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024-1451

In response to Bertrand Russell's argument that causation does not appear in classical physics, Mark Steiner (1986) has claimed that though causation is not found in the laws of physics, it is nonetheless part of the lore of physics. Where it allegedly enters the lore is in the rejection of certain equations (or of solutions to equations) as "violating our ordinary conception of causality." Like Steiner, Mathias Frisch (2005) has claimed that "...physicists themselves appear to be guided by causal considerations in their assessment of [a] theory." Among other considerations, it is claimed that a constraint to the effect that "the cause comes before the effect" plays an enormous role in physics. In this talk, I will examine what role such a constraint does or does not play in certain cases.