Jacob Barandes is a philosopher of physics at Harvard University, with faculty appointments in both the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Physics. His research spans quantum foundations, causation, probability, spacetime, and laws of nature. He is especially interested in interpretations of quantum theory, the measurement problem, and what our best physical theories have to tell us about ongoing debates in metaphysics. He is a Faculty Affiliate with Harvard’s Black Hole Initiative, a Fellow of the John Bell Institute, founder/organizer of the annual New England Workshop on the History and Philosophy of Physics (NEWHPP), and co-founder/organizer of the Boston Network for History and Philosophy of Physics (BNHPP). His website is at jacobbarandes.com.
Jacob Barandes
Senior Preceptor in Physics, Harvard University
Associated Faculty in Philosophy, Harvard University
Participant In These Roundtable Discussions
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Sep 19th
2026
Sep 19th
2026
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It’s About TIME
This roundtable explores the tension between the physics-based view of time—which explains its directional arrow through cosmic entropy and statistical mechanics—and the human experience of time as a continuous, fluid flow championed by philosophers like Henri Bergson. By juxtaposing these scientific and intuitive perspectives, the panel seeks a potential cross-disciplinary synthesis that unites psychologists, physicists, mathematicians, and philosophers.