The O'Hara Lecture Series in Philosophy of Physics aims to make topics at the cutting edge of the philosophy and the foundations of physics accessible to a broad public audience. The next speaker for the series will be Laura Ruetsche (University of Michigan). Ruetsche is world-renowned for her philosophical work on the foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. Her book Interpreting Quantum Theories (2011, Oxford) won the Lakatos Award for outstanding contributions to philosophy of science. Please join us on May 31, 2023 for a discussion with Ruetsche of how quantum physics bears on the topic of scientific realism. This event is open to the public. Please register here.
When: Wed, May 31, 7-8:30pm
Where: Kane Hall 210, reception to follow in Walker-Ames room
Speaker: Laura Ruetsche
Title: The Miracles Argument Meets Quantum Mechanics: Toward a More Literate Philosophy of Physics
Abstract: According to the Miracles Argument, we should believe what a highly successful physical theory says about the world. Believing what the theory says, the argument goes, is the best way to make sense of its success. If any physical theory is highly successful, Quantum Mechanics is. But what does Quantum Mechanics say about the world? Wildly different answers --- including ones, like the Many Worlds Interpretation, that are just plain wild --- are available. Canvassing a variety of these answers---a variety of interpretations of quantum mechanics--- I'll argue that it's a mistake to give a theory of physics a single, uniform interpretation meant to apply in all circumstances. It's a mistake because it impedes the capacity of that theory of physics to function as working science. To refrain from the mistake is to recognize that understanding a working piece of physics has more in common with understanding a work of literature or of art (or a person or a culture or . . . ) than one might expect!