SMuK 2021 – scientific programme

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AGPhil: Arbeitsgruppe Philosophie der Physik

AGPhil 2: Quantum Theory 1

AGPhil 2.1: Invited Talk

Tuesday, August 31, 2021, 11:00–11:45, H4

Quantum Metaphysics — •Alastair Wilson — University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Philosophy, specifically natural philosophy, used to be our main route to understanding the deep underlying structure of reality. Physics emerged out of natural philosophy during the Scientific Revolution, and over the past few centuries it has come to seem as though physics is all we need to understand the natural world. But is there still any role for philosophy to play? In this talk I argue that philosophy and physics can work together to help us understand some of the deepest mysteries of nature: in particular, chance, possibility and necessity. I suggest that the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics - if correct - can cast light on many core questions of metaphysics, while embedding the Everettian approach in a suitable metaphysical framework can strengthen it in turn. The overall method I advocate is 'naturalistic metaphysics' - theorizing about the most general aspect of reality in a way informed and constrained by our best physics - and I will end by asking how far this naturalistic approach can be taken.