Common · Knowledge
Demon (thought experiment)
Hypothetical agent with a special ability in a thought experiment
In thought experiments, philosophers and scientists occasionally imagine entities with special abilities as a way to pose thought experiment or highlight apparent paradoxes. The word "demon" here does not necessarily connote a demon, a malevolent being.
From Wikipedia
In thought experiments, philosophers and scientists occasionally imagine entities with special abilities as a way to pose thought experiment or highlight apparent paradoxes. The word "demon" here does not necessarily connote a demon, a malevolent being. For instance, James Clerk Maxwell came up with his thought experiment of a "finite being" manipulating entropy microscopically to highlight the implications of the statistical interpretation of thermodynamics. It was called Maxwell's demon by Lord Kelvin who used the term in analogy to daemons in Greek mythology, supernatural beings as unseen forces of nature.
Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0. · Image: S. Perquin (CC BY-SA 4.0) ·
Related cards
-
★★
Evil demon
Concept in Cartesian philosophy
-
★★★★
Laplace's demon
Hypothetical being who knows the location and momentum of every atom and therefore knows the past and future of the universe using classical mechanics
-
★★★★
Demon
Mythological and malevolent being prevalent in religion, occultism, mythology, and folklore
-
L★
La lucha contra el demonio
Book by Stefan Zweig
-
★★★★
Mephistopheles
Demon
-
★★★★
Maladaptive daydreaming
Mental disorder