Logic, methodology and philosophy of science VIII proceedings of the eighth international congress of logic, methodology and philosophy of science, and philosophy of science proceedings) ( PDFDrive ) 48

J.E Fenstad et al., eds., Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science VIII Elsevier Science Publishers B.V (1989) 29-46 THE REDISCOVERY OF TIME ILYA PRIGOGINE Faculti des Sciences (CP 231), Universiti Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050Bnrxelles, Belgique and Center for Studies in Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics (RLM-7), The Univers@ of Texas at Austin, Austin TX 78712, USA Introduction I would like to dedicate this communication to the memory of my friend Boris Grigorovitch Kuznetsov His book Reason and Being has 1987); once more I recently appeared in English translation (KUZNETSOV was struck by the similarities the approach which was developed by Kuznetsov presents with the one I will present here The main problem which Kuznetsov singles out is the role of probability and irreversibility in our conception of the Universe Different approaches to this question are well exemplified by the three following excerpts from Einstein (1916), Kuznetzov (1987), Lucretius (- -60 BC): Lucretius: * Illud in his quoque te rebus cognoseere avemus, corpora cum deorsum rectum per inane feruntur ponderibus propriis, incerto tempore ferme incertisque locis spatb depellere paulum, tantum quod nomen mutatum dicere possis Einstein: The weakness of theory may be summarized by the fact that it does not correspond to the wave theory and that, on the other hand, the time and direction of the elementary processes are determined by chance Besides, I am convinced by the potentialities of the method I have chosen *Translation: while the first bodies are being c m d downwards by their own weight in a straight line through the void, af times quite uncertain and uncertain places, they swerve a little from their course, just so much as you might call a change of motion 29