Physics and chance

People don't tend to think of thermodynamics as a subject for philosophising - at least not compared to quantum theory. In Physics and chance : philosophical issues in the foundations of statistical mechanics Lawrence Sklar tries to redress the balance. The book starts with a look at early ideas on the nature of thermodynamics, such as those of Boltzmann, together with criticisms of them. There is then a chapter on the nature of probability. Sklar then moves on to equilibrium thermodynamics, showing that it has quite a few foundational problems - but that those of non-equilibrium thermodynamics are quite a bit worse.

The book concludes with a look at the links between thermodynamics and cosmology, and with considerations of the direction of time.

This book is written without going into the technical details of thermodynamics, but I wouldn't classify it as light reading. It is naturally somewhat philosophical, and the discussions are generally a bit negative. It also covers a fair amount of material. I would say that it is best thought of as an introduction to some of the difficult areas for those who want to look deeper into the foundations of thermodynamics - it has plenty of recommendations for further reading.