In the history of science, the Laplacean demon was the first published explanation of causality or scientific (Laplacean) determinism. The modern history of the scientific picture of the world began with it. This concept was introduced by Pierre-Simon de Laplace in 1814. Since then, it has not changed much. According to the concept of Laplacean determinism, if someone (the demon) knows the exact location and momentum of each atom in the universe, his past and future actions can be calculated according to the laws of classical mechanics.
Role in the development of science
The desire of many scientists to confirm or refute this theory played a vital motivating role in the subsequent development of statistical thermodynamics, the first of several refutations developed by subsequent generations of physicists under the assumption of causal certainty on which the Laplace demon was erected.
This abstract intelligence is often called the Laplace demon (and sometimes the Laplace Superman, after Hans Reichenbach). Laplace himself did not use the word demon. Apparently, he was not the first scientist who developed, in fact, the idea of Laplacean determinism. Strikingly similar passages can be found in the works of scholars such as Nicholas de Condorcet and Baron D'Holbach. However, it seems that the first to propose the image of super-powerful intelligence to prove strict determinism was Roger Joseph Boskovich. His formulation of the almost Laplacean hard determinism in Theoria Philophiae Naturalis 1758 was a real discovery.
Other ratings
According to chemical engineer Robert Ulanovich, the demon Laplace met his end at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to the discovery of the concepts of irreversibility, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. In other words, the principle of Laplacean determinism was based on the premise of reversibility and classical mechanics. However, Ulanovich notes that many thermodynamic processes are irreversible, therefore, if thermodynamic quantities are considered purely physical, then such determinism is impossible, since it is impossible to restore the previous positions and impulses from the current state.
Different look
Maximum entropy thermodynamics has a completely different view, considering that thermodynamic variables have a statistical basis, which can be separated from microscopic physics. Nevertheless, this theory has met with criticism regarding its ability to make predictions about physics. A number of physicists and mathematicians, including Ivan Velenik from the Faculty of Mathematics of the University of Geneva, indicated that maximum entropy thermodynamics, in fact, describes our knowledge of the system, and not of the system itself. Consequently, Laplace's determinism is secondary.
Copenhagen interpretation
Due to his canonical assumption of determinism, the Laplacean demon is incompatible with the Copenhagen interpretation, which causes uncertainty. The interpretation of quantum mechanics is still very open to debate, and many scientists in this field have opposing views (such as the interpretation of many worlds and the de Broglie-Bohm interpretation).
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is sometimes indicated as a contradiction to the Laplace demon and, accordingly, the principle of Laplace determinism: it describes how a deterministic system is able to demonstrate behavior that cannot be predicted. As with the butterfly effect, minor changes between the initial conditions of the two systems can lead to significant differences in results.
References in popular culture
In the anime series Rampo Kitan: The Laplace Game, the Laplace Demon is the foundation of a computer program called The Dark Star. It allows the disguised hero of Twenty Faces to cause the death of people who escaped justice in one way or another. Thus, Laplace's determinism in the anime was translated into ethical and metaphysical channels.
In the Blast of Tempest anime, chaos theory and butterfly effect, as well as time travel and exit from parallel universes, are the main topics.
In the film Awake Life, a discussion of the Laplace demon takes place, as well as the processing of a retort from quantum mechanics.
In the Dresden Codak web comic, this concept is explained on a page that combines philosophical and scientific concepts with the rules of the D&D game. This page (chapter) is called Advanced Dungeons and Discourse. On it, Kimiko Ross must burn the second law of thermodynamics to cause a demon.
In the British sitcom Spaced, an episode called “Chaos” was shown, in which the artist Brian indirectly refers to the demon Laplace and Laplacean determinism in a conversation about chaos theory. He states that reality is a mathematically predictable predetermined system.
Rapurasu no Majo (Witch of Laplace), a 2015 novel by Japanese author Keigo Higashino, was filmed in 2018. Laplace’s ideas are regularly mentioned in him and indirectly related to the plot.