Abstract
If the force on a particle fails to satisfy a Lipschitz condition at a point, it relaxes one of the conditions necessary for a locally unique solution to the particle's equation of motion. I examine the most discussed example of this failure of determinism in classical mechanics-that of Norton's dome- and the range of current objections against it. Finding there are many different conceptions of classical mechanics appropriate and useful for different purposes, I argue that no single conception is preferred. Instead of arguing for or against determinism, I stress the wide variety of pragmatic considerations that, in a specific context, may lead one usefully and legitimately to adopt one conception over another in which determinism may or may not hold.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 275-297 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | European Journal for Philosophy of Science |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Classical mechanics
- Determinism
- Newtonian mechanics
- Pluralism
- Pragmatism