Indeterminism is a modal notion: branching spacetimes and Earman’s pruning [Book Review]

Synthese 187 (2):441-469 (2012)
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Abstract

The paper defends an Aristotelian notion of indeterminism, as rigorously formulated in the framework of branching space-times (BST) of Belnap (1992), against the model-theoretic characterization of indeterminism that Montague (1962) introduced into the philosophy of science. It delineates BST branching against the background provided by Earman's (2008) distinction between individual vs. ensemble branching. It describes a construction of physically-motivated BST models, in which histories are isomorphic to Minkowski spacetime. Finally it responds to criticism leveled against BST by addressing some semantical questions, a topological issue, and the past/future asymmetry

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2011-01-21

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Tomasz Placek
Jagiellonian University

Citations of this work

Relativity, the Open Future, and the Passage of Time.Oliver Pooley - 2013 - Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 113 (3pt3):321-363.
A future for the thin red line.Alex Malpass & Jacek Wawer - 2012 - Synthese 188 (1):117-142.
The Truth About the Future.Jacek Wawer - 2014 - Erkenntnis 79 (S3):365-401.
Defining Determinism.Thomas Müller & Tomasz Placek - 2018 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 69 (1):215-252.

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References found in this work

On the Plurality of Worlds.David K. Lewis - 1986 - Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell.
Demonstratives: An Essay on the Semantics, Logic, Metaphysics and Epistemology of Demonstratives and other Indexicals.David Kaplan - 1989 - In Joseph Almog, John Perry & Howard Wettstein (eds.), Themes From Kaplan. Oxford University Press. pp. 481-563.
On the Plurality of Worlds.David Lewis - 1986 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 178 (3):388-390.
Past, present and future.Arthur N. Prior - 1967 - Oxford,: Clarendon P..

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