Jha, Aditya and Rodríguez-Warnier, Pascal (2026) Thermodynamics is not subjective, but relational. In: UNSPECIFIED.

Text JRW - Pitt Archive 28.5.26 - TD Not Subjective, but Relational.pdf Download (150kB)

Abstract

A persistent concern in the foundations of thermodynamics is that its reliance on epistemic elements—agents, probabilities, and descriptive choices—renders it subjective. There are arguments to the effect that objective quantum mechanical probabilities can address this. We argue that such claims misdiagnose the sources of subjectivity in thermodynamics, which actually stem from its relational character. We illustrate this via the passivity framework—a rigorous foundation for the Gibbs state—bypassing probabilistic worries. We further show that the objectivity-subjectivity binary is too coarse to capture the conceptual landscape, for thermodynamic concepts are better understood through a richer taxonomy including the epistemic, relational, and means-relative.

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Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Jha, Aditya aditya9835@gmail.com 0000-0002-1147-5752 Rodríguez-Warnier, Pascal prodri5@uwo.ca 0009-0002-2721-5821
Keywords:	Thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, quantum thermodynamics, probabilities, relational thermodynamics, relational physics
Subjects:	General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Depositing User:	Dr Aditya Jha
Date Deposited:	29 May 2026 12:35
Last Modified:	29 May 2026 12:35
Item ID:	29782
Subjects:	General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science Specific Sciences > Physics > Statistical Mechanics/Thermodynamics
Date:	28 May 2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/29782

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