Are entropy bounds epistemic?

Adlam, Emily (2023) Are entropy bounds epistemic? Philosophy of Physics, 1 (1). ISSN 2753-5908

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Abstract

Entropy bounds have played an important role in the development of holography as an approach to quantum gravity, so in this article we seek to gain a better understanding of the covariant entropy bound. We observe that there is a possible way of thinking about the covariant entropy bound which would suggest that it encodes an epistemic limitation rather than an objective count of the true number of degrees of freedom on a light-sheet; thus we distinguish between ontological and epistemic interpretations of the covariant bound. We consider the consequences that these interpretations might have for physics and we discuss what each approach has to say about gravitational phenomena. Our aim is not to advocate for either the ontological or epistemic approach in particular, but rather to articulate both possibilities clearly and explore some arguments for and against them.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://philosophyofphysics.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author(s)
Divisions:	LSE
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QC Physics B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2023 12:12
Last Modified:	02 Feb 2024 00:09
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/120917

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