PeoplePhilosophy Faculty

 

Jill North

 



Jill North

Professor
Assistant Professor
405a CT Hall

432-1675
jill.north@yale.edu
Personal Website

Education
PhD 2004,
Rutgers University

Areas of interest
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?

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.”