What can we learn about physical laws from the fact that we have memories only of the past?

International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 14 (1):11 – 23 (2000)
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Abstract

Not much. I demonstrate this by constructing a model of a memory system governed by deterministic, time reversible laws only, thereby showing that the mere fact of our having memories solely of the past does not necessitate an indeterministic, time asymmetric or stochastic physics, essentially thermodynamic processes or a primitive notion of time asymmetric causation.

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John D. Norton
University of Pittsburgh

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References found in this work

The direction of time.Hans Reichenbach - 1956 - Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. Edited by Maria Reichenbach.
The Direction of Time.Hans Reichenbach - 1956 - Philosophy 34 (128):65-66.
Asymmetries in Time.Paul Horwich - 1990 - Noûs 24 (5):804-806.
Physics and Chance.Lawrence Sklar - 1995 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 46 (1):145-149.

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