Abstract
It is argued, using a relativistic space-time view of the Universe, that Reichenbach’s “principle of the common cause” provides a good basis for understanding the time direction of a variety of time-asymmetric physical processes. Most of the mathematical formulation is based on a probabilistic model using classical mechanics, but the extension to quantumm echanics is also considered.
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dennis Sciama (1926-1999), the sadly missed friend who taught me so much about cosmology, the foundations of physics, and scientific writing.
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Penrose, O. (2001). The Direction of Time. In: Bricmont, J., Ghirardi, G., Dürr, D., Petruccione, F., Galavotti, M.C., Zanghi, N. (eds) Chance in Physics. Lecture Notes in Physics, vol 574. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44966-3_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44966-3_5
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