Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, 11 AM, Keck Center 149

Join us on Zoom.

Abstract: The classical action has been intertwined with quantum theory for over a century, but the connection between the two continues to be unclear.  Is the action meaningful in its own right, or just a “trick” for generating dynamical equations of motion?  Are the all-at-once aspects of action principles “retrocausal”, if taken literally?  Can classical action principles really account for quantum phenomena like entanglement?  Does the path integral have any realistic implications for what is happening between measurements?  And what exactly is the action, anyway?  These and other related questions will all be addressed, and maybe even answered.