Jill North

Professor
405a CT Hall
203.432.1675
jill.north@yale.edu
Jill North Web site

Areas of Interests

Philosophy of physics, philosophy of science, metaphysics

I am currently working on issues stemming from my dissertation on the direction of time, such as the nature of time reversal: how do we tell when a theory of physics is asymmetric with respect to time, and therefore gives us reason to infer the existence of an objective past–future distinction? I am also working on various topics in probability, from the perspective of both metaphysics and of physics. I have recently become interested in the idea of structure as it is used in physics: what do we mean by the structure of a given physical theory? What do we say when there is more than one mathematical formulation, or structure, for a given theory?

Education

PhD 2004, Rutgers University

Current or Recent Courses Taught

• Philosophy of physics (fall)
• Introduction to philosophy (fall)
• Philosophy of science (spring)
• Seminar: Direction of time (spring)
• Probability in physics (seminar at NYU)
• Philosophy of science (NYU)
• Direction of time (seminar at NYU)

Publications

• “Understanding the Time–Asymmetry of Radiation,” Philosophy of Science>(Proceedings), vol. 70, December 2003, pp. 1086–1097.
• “What is the Problem about the Time–Asymmetry of Thermodynamics? — A Reply to Price,” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, vol. 53, March 2002, pp. 121–136.

Works in Progress

• “Symmetry and Probability”
• “Two Views on Time Reversal”
• Book review: Mathias Frisch, Inconsistency, Asymmetry and Non-Locality: A Philosophical Investigation of Classical Electrodynamics, forthcoming in Philosophy of Science.
• “The ‘Structure’ of Physics: A Case Study.”