Abstract
The idea of combining molecular mechanics with statistical principles, in order to provide a “reduction” of thermodynamics to mechanics, took shape about a hundred years ago. Since that time, the technique of explaining macroscopic properties of matter in microscopic terms has advanced by leaps and bounds; but this practical success is not matched by a comparable progress in our understanding of the “foundations”. Recent mathematical advances in the ergodic theory ([18] and the various papers published in [6]) make it only more apparent that such discussions are still pursued in the conceptual framework of Boltzmann. My purpose is to advance another approach that is in some sense complementary to the traditional one. I suggest first a heuristic guideline that is broad enough to subsume both programs.
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