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In the history of science, Laplace's demon was a notable published articulation of causal determinism on a scientific basis by Pierre-Simon Laplace in 1814. [1] According to determinism, if someone (the demon) knows the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe, their past and future values for any given time are entailed ...
Even though Laplace is generally credited with having first formulated the concept of causal determinism, in a philosophical context the idea was actually widespread at the time, and can be found as early as 1756 in Maupertuis' 'Sur la Divination'. [73]
Laplace's demon – Hypothetical all-knowing being who knows the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe, and therefore could use Newton's laws to reveal the entire course of cosmic events, past and future. Pierre-Simon Laplace based the demon on the philosophical proposition of causal determinism.
Determinism is the philosophical view that all events in the universe, including human decisions and actions, ... (Laplace's demon). In this sense, the basic ...
Laplace's determinism is usually thought to be based on his mechanics, but he could not prove mathematically that mechanics is deterministic. Rather, his determinism is based on general philosophical principles, specifically on the principle of sufficient reason and the law of continuity.
Of these, Laplace himself was the last, and, perhaps after Newton, the greatest; and the task commenced in the Principia of the former, is completed in the Mécanique Céleste of the latter. In this last named work, the illustrious author has proposed to himself his object, to unite all the theories scattered throughout the various channels of ...
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Many physicists have written about the philosophical implications of their work, for instance Laplace, who championed causal determinism, [89] and Erwin Schrödinger, who wrote on quantum mechanics. [ 90 ] [ 91 ] The mathematical physicist Roger Penrose has been called a Platonist by Stephen Hawking , [ 92 ] a view Penrose discusses in his book ...