Dealing with Time and Chance
Dates: 22nd−23rd June 2026
Location: Neil Lecture Theatre, Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin and Newman Center (UCD), Museum of Literature Ireland (both in central Dublin)
Confirmed speakers and attendees: David Wallace, Sean Carroll, Jill North, Ted Sider, Max Heitmann, Wayne Myrvold, Nina Emery, Emily Adlam, Jenann Ismael, Tim Maudlin and Alison Fernandes. David Albert will also attend as lead discussant, with remarks by Barry Loewer.
‘Dealing with Time and Chance’ addresses the unmet challenges raised by David Albert’s Time and Chance (2000), concerning the physics and philosophy of the direction of time, the metaphysics of chance and the foundations of statistical mechanics. A striking phenomenon is that many processes in nature and our experience are directed differently towards the past than towards the future. We remember the past, but not the future. Causes are in the past, effects in the future. The ‘entropy’ of the universe increases over time. Time seems to have a direction. yet the laws of nature are, by and large, temporally symmetric, taking the same form in both directions in time. Can the range of temporal asymmetries we see be explained using the posits of physics? How are these posits to be understood? Could a ‘low-entropy’ constraint on the universe be a law? Can there be probabilities if the laws of the universe turn out to be deterministic?
Organisers: Alison Fernandes (Trinity College Dublin), Barry Loewer (Rutgers University), Ye-Eun Jeong (Columbia University), Daniel Deasy (University College Dublin), under the auspices of the Irish Society for the Philosophy of Time.
Location: Neil Lecture Theatre, Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin and Newman Center (UCD), Museum of Literature Ireland (both in central Dublin)
Confirmed speakers and attendees: David Wallace, Sean Carroll, Jill North, Ted Sider, Max Heitmann, Wayne Myrvold, Nina Emery, Emily Adlam, Jenann Ismael, Tim Maudlin and Alison Fernandes. David Albert will also attend as lead discussant, with remarks by Barry Loewer.
‘Dealing with Time and Chance’ addresses the unmet challenges raised by David Albert’s Time and Chance (2000), concerning the physics and philosophy of the direction of time, the metaphysics of chance and the foundations of statistical mechanics. A striking phenomenon is that many processes in nature and our experience are directed differently towards the past than towards the future. We remember the past, but not the future. Causes are in the past, effects in the future. The ‘entropy’ of the universe increases over time. Time seems to have a direction. yet the laws of nature are, by and large, temporally symmetric, taking the same form in both directions in time. Can the range of temporal asymmetries we see be explained using the posits of physics? How are these posits to be understood? Could a ‘low-entropy’ constraint on the universe be a law? Can there be probabilities if the laws of the universe turn out to be deterministic?
Organisers: Alison Fernandes (Trinity College Dublin), Barry Loewer (Rutgers University), Ye-Eun Jeong (Columbia University), Daniel Deasy (University College Dublin), under the auspices of the Irish Society for the Philosophy of Time.
Schedule and Maps
Travel and Accommodation
Dublin Airport is the nearest airport, with connections throughout Europe and intercontinental.
There are several airport buses direct from the airport to the city centre, approximately 6 euros one way. Two straightforward options are Dublin Express and Aircoach. There is no need to book your ticket in advance. There are pickups from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. On Dublin Express, the stop you need is Dublin City South, Georges Quay, or just ask the bus driver to let you know where to get off for Trinity College Dublin.
Accomodation: One more affordable option in the city centre is Trinity City College Summer Accommodation, starting at around 90 euros per night. https://www.tcd.ie/summeraccommodation/city-centre/trinity-campus/
There are several airport buses direct from the airport to the city centre, approximately 6 euros one way. Two straightforward options are Dublin Express and Aircoach. There is no need to book your ticket in advance. There are pickups from Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. On Dublin Express, the stop you need is Dublin City South, Georges Quay, or just ask the bus driver to let you know where to get off for Trinity College Dublin.
Accomodation: One more affordable option in the city centre is Trinity City College Summer Accommodation, starting at around 90 euros per night. https://www.tcd.ie/summeraccommodation/city-centre/trinity-campus/
Registration
Details TBC. Please check back.
