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Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
November 2022
Print publication year:
2022
Online ISBN:
9781009122139
Creative Commons:
Creative Common License - CC Creative Common License - BY Creative Common License - NC Creative Common License - ND
This content is Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/creativelicenses

Book description

The arrow of time refers to the curious asymmetry that distinguishes the future from the past. Reversing the Arrow of Time argues that there is an intimate link between the symmetries of 'time itself' and time reversal symmetry in physical theories, which has wide-ranging implications for both physics and its philosophy. This link helps to clarify how we can learn about the symmetries of our world; how to understand the relationship between symmetries and what is real, and how to overcome pervasive illusions about the direction of time. Roberts explains the significance of time reversal in a way that intertwines physics and philosophy, to establish what the arrow of time means and how we can come to know it. This book is both mathematically and philosophically rigorous yet remains accessible to advanced undergraduates in physics and philosophy of physics. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Reviews

‘… the book is complementary to many discussions about (real or imagined) arrows of time in physics, and is clearly written despite the philosophical and mathematical details. [… this book] is thus essential reading for those interested, whether or not they completely agree with Roberts.’

Phillip Helbig Source: The Observatory

‘[T]his book mines the rich but underexploited seam of natural philosophical ideas that deepen our understanding of the structure of physical theory in a manner valuable to philosophers and physicists alike. Much of the book is highly formal, but the philosophical and scientific value of what is done are difficult to overstate.’

Karim P. Y. Thébault Source: Metascience

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Contents

Full book PDF
  • Frontmatter
    pp i-iv
  • Contents
    pp v-vi
  • What Is in This Book
    pp vii-ix
  • Acknowledgements
    pp x-xii
  • 1 - A Brief History of Time Reversal
    pp 1-20
  • 2 - What Time Reversal Means
    pp 21-49
  • 3 - Time Reversal in Physical Theory
    pp 50-83
  • 4 - Philosophy of Symmetry
    pp 84-114
  • 5 - Arrows That Misfire
    pp 115-138
  • 6 - There Is No Thermodynamic Arrow
    pp 139-167
  • 7 - Time Reversal Violation
    pp 168-191
  • 8 - Representing CPT
    pp 192-218
  • Epilogue
    pp 219-220
  • Bibliography
    pp 221-248
  • Index
    pp 249-252

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