Urbino Summer School: June 17-20

Call for Papers / Participation

The 22nd International School in Philosophy of Physics will be held in Urbino, on June 17th-20th, 2019. The topic of the school is “Philosophy of Cosmology” and will feature lectures given by Christopher Smeenk (Western University, and Director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy), Erik Curiel (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München), and afternoon seminars given by Alfio Bonanno (INAF, Catania Astrophysical Observatory), Elena Pian (INAF, Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory, Bologna), Vincenzo Fano (University of Urbino) and Giovanni Macchia (University of Urbino)

Foundations of Physics Research Chair: Western

The University of Western Ontario invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Foundations of Physics. Tier 2 research chairs are intended for exceptional emerging scholars, meaning that scholars should have less than 10 years as an active researcher in the field (further details).  The successful candidate will be appointed to both the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Philosophy, and is expected to have a strong research track record in both physics and philosophy, with a doctoral degree in at least one of the fields.

Workshop: Thermodynamics as a Resource Theory (Western Ontario, June 20-22)

Thermodynamics as a Resource Theory:
Foundational and Philosophical Implications
Interdisciplinary workshop of the resource-theoretic revolution in thermodynamics

June 20-22, 2018, The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario).

Recently, there has been a shift in the way that many physicists are approaching the science of thermodynamics. Instead of regarding its laws as purely physical laws, researchers are increasingly treating the theory as a theory about how agents, such as ourselves, can use information about a physical system as a resource for extracting useful work from the system. Seen this way, investigations into the thermodynamics of quantum systems have a deep connection with work in Quantum Information Theory.

This interdisciplinary workshop brings together philosophers and physicists to explore the philosophical and foundational implications of the resource-theoretic turn in thermodynamics.

Rotman Summer Institute: Philosophy of Cosmology

The Rotman Institute of Philosophy will host a summer institute in philosophy of cosmology, June 11-20, 2018. The Institute will focus primarily on two issues:  first, the role of simulations in cosmology, and second, the status of singularity theorems in light of proposals from quantum gravity.  Graduate students and junior scholars are encouraged to apply by March 30. Please visit the Institute website for further details.  This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, awarded to Chris Smeenk and Jim Weatherall.

 

Philosophy of QFT Summer School (Urbino, June 25-28)

The XXI International Summer School in Philosophy of Physics hosted in Urbino, June 25-28, will focus on Philosophy of Quantum Field Theory.  Interested graduate students and early career researchers are encouraged to apply to attend, or to present a paper.

Lectures will be given by Miklos Redei (London School of Economics and Political Science), Laura Ruetsche (University of Michigan) and Giovanni Valente (Polytechnic University of Milan); and afternoon seminars will be given by Elena Castellani (University of Florence), F.A. Muller (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Utrecht University), and Sergio Doplicher (University of Rome La Sapienza)

Cosmology and the Future of Spacetime

The Rotman Institute of Philosophy is hosting a conference on Cosmology and the Future of Spacetime on June 12-14, 2017, in London, Ontario.  All are welcome to attend, but we ask those interested in joining us to register for planning purposes. The conference is held in conjunction with the LMP conference, on June 15-16th.  Below the fold is a more detailed description of the conference theme.

CFP: Super-PAC, Pittsburgh

The Center for Philosophy of Science at Pittsburgh is hosting an early career workshop in philosophy of astrophysics and cosmology, Oct. 28-29, 2017.

Philosophy of astrophysics and philosophy of cosmology are still emerging fields within philosophy of physics and general philosophy of science. The overall aim of this workshop is to bring together philosophers and researchers in the physical sciences to collectively explore epistemological and methodological issues in philosophy of astrophysics and cosmology with particular attention to the contributions of observational and experimental evidence in these fields. Some of the topics with which we aim to engage include: the validity of simulation assumptions, use of models and theories in data processing, considerations invoked when integrating different theoretical and/or methodological resources in one application, potential strategies for constraining theory, and principled constraints on what we can know.

Keynote speakers:  Wendy Freedman (Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago), and Michela Massimi (School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh)

Abstracts of 500 words should be submitted by June 30, see the CFP for further details.

Urbino Summer School in Philosophy of Physics

The XXth iteration of the Urbino Summer School will focus on spacetime and quantum physics (website), held on July 10-13, 2017.  The summer school will feature morning lectures given by Christian Wüthrich (University of Geneva) and Francesca Vidotto (Radboud University); and afternoon seminars given by Carlo Rovelli (CPT, Aix-Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS), F.A. Muller (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Tiziana Vistarini (University of Colorado Boulder). (h/t to Giovanni Macchia)

Methodology and Epistemology in Cosmology Conference (UC Irvine: Feb. 10-12, 2017)

The twenty first century has, thus far, been a period of rapid progress in cosmology. And yet this very success has begun to expose the limits of current methods and forced cosmologists to explore new ways of learning about the universe and its history. At this conference, we will explore three related areas where methodological innovation has been called for, and where it has already begun. One theme will concern the epistemology of inflation. Does inflationary cosmology inexorably lead us to postulate a multiverse where anything that can happen does happen? And if so, what does it mean to test a theory that is compatible with anything we might observe? Or can we treat inflation as a more conventional theory, with unambiguous observational signatures? A second theme will concern dark matter and dark energy. We have inferred the existence of these entities by comparing observational evidence with models of general relativity. But one might just as well infer, from the behavior of the visible matter in the universe, that general relativity breaks down at cosmological (or even galactic) length scales. What are the prospects for alternatives to general relativity at cosmological scales? How might cosmology be used to test general relativity? The final theme will concern the role of simulation in our understanding of the history of the actual universe. Can simulations be used to test theories of the early universe? Do they provide an independent source of information about cosmology, or are they an intermediary between theory and observation?

See the conference webpage for further details.

Summer School in Philosophy of Physics: Cesena / Urbino

The XIX International Summer School in Philosophy of Physics will be held in Urbino 5^th– 8^th September and  in Cesena 9^th September 2016, and the organizers invite participants. (H/t to Giovanni Macchia.)

 The topic of the school is “MANY-WORLDS INTERPRETATIONS, Quantum mechanics, metaphysics and cosmology.”  It will feature morning lectures given by Wayne  Myrvold (Western University) and Guido Bacciagaluppi (Utrecht University); and afternoon seminars given by  Claudio Calosi (University of Neuchatel), Gennaro Auletta (University of Cassino), and Marica Branchesi (University of Urbino) and F.A. Muller (Erasmus University Rotterdam). Lectures and seminars will be held in English, with a mock trial on September 9th in Italian.