Aditya Jha (Cambridge): 'Thermodynamics has never been subjective, classical or quantum'
Abstract: In a recent paper, Robertson and Prunkl (2023) - Is Thermodynamics Subjective? (Philosophy of Science, 90 (5)) - address a crucial concern with respect to thermodynamics: the claim that including epistemic factors - such as agents/observers and their varying degrees of credence - renders the theory subjective or anthropocentric, as it appears that fundamental thermodynamic distinctions (for instance, between heat and work) are observer-dependent. The authors contend that quantum mechanics can liberate thermodynamics from this issue as quantum probabilities are inherently objective; they allow for agent-independent assertions that are consistent with the thermodynamic description of a system, thereby establishing the objectivity of thermodynamics. However, contrary to what the authors argue, I argue that an observer's role is overstated and largely unnecessary for achieving objective thermal system descriptions. In typical states, thermal systems evolve toward their attractor distribution in an objective manner, independent of whether observers employ classical or quantum credences, indicating that the use of objective expectation values does not play a critical role in making objective thermodynamic statements. I further explain why factors such as coarse-graining, resource-relativity, and choice of measure - which although involve agent-dependent considerations - do not inject subjectivity into thermodynamics. The overall conclusion is that quantum considerations do not remove the anthropocentrism inherent in thermodynamics since there was none anyway.
Philosophy of Physics Graduate Lunch Seminar Convenor: Eleanor March, Bryan Cheng and Paolo Faglia
