Unsharp Humean Chances in Statistical Physics: A Reply to Beisbart

Glynn, Luke; Dardashti, Radin; Thébault, Karim P. Y. und Frisch, Mathias (2013): Unsharp Humean Chances in Statistical Physics: A Reply to Beisbart.

Abstract

In an illuminating article, Claus Beisbart argues that the recently-popular thesis that the probabilities of statistical mechanics (SM) are Best System chances runs into a serious obstacle: there is no one axiomatization of SM that is robustly best, as judged by the theoretical virtues of simplicity, strength, and fit. Beisbart takes this 'no clear winner' result to imply that the probabilities yielded by the competing axiomatizations simply fail to count as Best System chances. In this reply, we express sympathy for the 'no clear winner' thesis. However, we argue that an importantly different moral should be drawn from this. We contend that the implication for Humean chances is not that there are no SM chances, but rather that SM chances fail to be sharp.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Keywords: Best System Analysis; Chance; Unsharp Probability; Statistical Mechanics
• Faculties: Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Science > Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP); Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Science > Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) > Philosophy of Physics
• Subjects: 100 Philosophy and Psychology > 100 Philosophy
• Language: English