Metaphysics Beyond Spacetime Conference

June 15-18 2022
University of Geneva, with the event taking place in Ovronnaz, Switzerland

With talks by:

CFR: History, Philosophy and Sociology of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Conference

Call for Registration

Registration deadline: 1 June 2022

Event details: Bonn, Germany, 29-30 June 2022 with pre-event on 28 June at 16:15 (Nora Boyd on Laboratory Astrophysics)

Website & registration: https://www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/events/hps-cap.html

Open positions in philosophy of physics: Scientific Collaborator and PhD Fellowship – Geneva Symmetry Group

The Department of Philosophy, University of Geneva invites applications for two positions for Christian Wüthrich’s new SNSF‐funded project PHILOSOPHY BEYOND STANDARD PHYSICS:

– one 4-year Scientific Collaborator (100%), and
– one 4-year PhD Fellowship.

The project will be housed at the Geneva Symmetry Group, which is part of the Department of Philosophy of the University of Geneva (https://genevasymmetrygroup.wordpress.com/).

The positions will start on 1 September 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Current Status and Relation to Other Interpretations

Research workshop of the Israeli Science Foundation.

Hosted by QuanTAU, Quantum Science and Technology Center Tel-Aviv University

18-24 October 2022

https://www.mwi2022tau.com/

Submission deadline: June 18th

The MWI solves the measurement problem, avoids action at a distance and indeterminism and does not contradict empirical evidence. Why, then, it is not in the consensus? 

The workshop will  aim to promote the ongoing debate on the foundations of quantum mechanics by dealing with the major open questions regarding the MWI, together with objections and alternatives.

Submission includes a short abstract and an optional extended abstract/preprint/published paper. All submissions should be submitted through the submission form by June 18th, but please submit as early as possible and your submission will be favored. 

The format of the workshop is not fixed yet and will depend on submitted contributions, COVID-19 restrictions, etc. Please visit the workshop website for more details. For questions please contact mwiconference2022@gmail.com. 

Postdoctoral Associate, History and Philosophy of Science, Pittsburgh

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral associate position in the philosophy of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, affiliated to the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and the Department of Philosophy. The position will be supervised by David Wallace, and applicants should intend to pursue a course of research in an area of philosophy of physics related to Professor Wallace’s research activities (which include inter alia the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the role of symmetry in physics, quantum field theory, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, and quantum gravity). The postdoctoral associate may be asked to carry out some minor administrative work to assist Professor Wallace’s research, amounting to at most 10% of their time-averaged over the period of appointment; the remainder of their time is available for their own research project.

New online lecture series in philosophy of science

Bas van Fraassen: Epistemological implications of Bell’s inequality

Online, 21 March 2022 at 7 pm CET

On March 21st, Bas van Fraassen will kick off a new lecture series on philosophy of science (very broadly construed). All information, including background readings and the Zoom link, will be posted here: https://www.philosophiederphysik.de/quarterly-lectures

The series is mainly directed at undergraduate students, but anyone interested is welcome to join. Also, students are welcome to suggest speakers for future events via seminar@philosophiederphysik.de.

Organizers: Oxana Shaya (Aachen), Niels Linnemann (Bremen/Rotman), and Kian Salimkhani (Cologne)

CFA: History, Philosophy and Sociology of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics Conference

Submission deadline: 21 March 2022

Event details: Bonn, Germany, 29-30 June 2022 with pre-event on 28 June at 16:15.

Website: https://www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/events/hps-cap.html

The DFG-funded research unit Epistemology of the LHC is organising a two-day conference on the history, philosophy and sociology of cosmology and astroparticle physics. This event follows up on the 2019 conference in Aachen on dark matter & modified gravity, a special journal issue on the same topic, and the 2021 online workshop on the philosophy of dark matter. The conference will take place on the 29^th and 30^th of June 2022 in Bonn, Germany. Philosophers, physicists, historians, sociologists and other interested scholars are invited to attend.

2nd CFA: ‘Cosmology Beyond Spacetime’ Summer Institute, 26 June – 1 July 2022

2nd Call for Applications:

International Summer Institute in Philosophy of Physics on the PHILOSOPHY OF COSMOLOGY and the PHILOSOPHY OF QUANTUM GRAVITY

Hosted by the University of Geneva-University of Illinois at Chicago Cosmology Beyond Spacetime project

Hotel Le Crêt, Morzine, France 

26 June – 2 July 2022

Further information, when available, at http://beyondspacetime.net/2022summerinstitute/.

In recent years, the philosophy of quantum gravity and the philosophy of cosmology have emerged as new fields in their own right, with several summer schools dedicated to each. However, they remain largely unconnected, even though their intersection promises new scientific insights of great significance to philosophical question and the advancement of physics. This Summer Institute proposes to address conceptual, metaphysical, and epistemological implications of big bang, black hole, and multiverse models in quantum gravity: the fundamental nature of space and time, especially the beginning of spacetime, ‘before’ time or ‘outside’ space; the multiverse; the nature of physical law; and how we might have knowledge of such things.

These are just some of the questions that we will discuss in this Summer Institute, which addresses graduate students and postdocs from philosophy of physics and related fields.

Faculty:

Call for Abstracts: “Quantum Epistemology Beyond Quantum Measurement”

Call for Abstracts: “Quantum Epistemology Beyond Quantum Measurement” (QEBQM)

Early Career Summer Seminar Retreat

August 17 to 21, 2022

Description

Recent work on the interconnections between formal epistemology and foundations of quantum mechanics has prompted exciting developments on important philosophical questions. For example:

• Are there objective probabilities in quantum theories? If so, what grounds them?
• Might all the probabilities in quantum theory be subjective, the partial beliefs of an agent?
• Are there compelling justifications for partial beliefs about quantum systems that do not depend on a particular solution to the measurement problem?
• What implications does quantum theory have for the belief structure of rational agents and vice versa?

This retreat gathers early-career scholars working on these or closely related questions.

CFA: CEU summer course on the history and philosophy of laws and probabilities

There will be a summer course organized by Barry Loewer at CEU in Budapest July 11-22 on laws and probabilities.

For more information, including on how to apply, please visit https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/courses/history-and-philosophy-concepts-scientific-law-and-probability