November 6, 2024
Quantum Limits of Knowledge 2021
Monday 29th March, 2021
Physics is formulated in terms of timeless axiomatic mathematics. However, time is essential in all our stories, in particular in physics. For example, to think of an event is to think of something in time. A formulation of physics based of intuitionism, a constructive form of mathematics built on time-evolving processes, would offer a perspective that is closer to our experience of physical reality and may help bridging the gap between static relativity and quantum indeterminism. Historically, intuitionistic mathematics was introduced by Brouwer with a very subjectivist view where an idealized mathematician continuously produces new information by solving conjectures. Here, in contrast, I’ll introduce intuitionism as an objective mathematics that incorporates a dynamical/creative time and an open future. Standard mathematics appears as the view from the “end of time” and the usual real numbers appear as the hidden variables of classical physics. Classical mathematics appears as intuitionistic mathematics seen from the “end of time”. Similarly, determinism appears as indeterminism seen from the “end of time”. Often, it is argued that relativity is incompatible with indeterminism. Hence, at the end of this presentation I’ll argue that these incompatibility arguments are based on unjustified assumptions and present the “relativity of indeterminacy”.