Visiting Fellowship to Geneva and Chicago

We invite interested scholars for short visits to the Spacetime After Quantum Gravity research group, located in the philosophy departments at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Geneva. To facilitate visits we can offer financial assistance for travel and lodging, office facilities, and of course excellent intellectual company. Visits can be from a few days to a few weeks (or possibly longer). Fellowship do not normally cover all expenses.

Details of the fellowship programme and how to apply can be found here.

Call: 2017 Essay Prize in the Philosophy of Quantum Gravity

We are pleased to announce our third essay contest, for papers from philosophers or physicists that address issues in the philosophical foundations of quantum gravity. Full details here: https://beyondspacetime.net/2017-essay-prize-contest/. The winners will receive $1000, a visit to UIC or Geneva, and publication in the anthology that we are editing. Women and minorities are encouraged to submit – and we emphasize that the scope of the contest includes metaphysical investigations of the subject.

Nick Huggett
Baptiste Le Bihan
Christian Wüthrich

Call for participation: Spacetime: Fundamental or Emergent?

Call for Participation:

Spacetime: Fundamental or Emergent?

Bonn, October 26-28, 2017

Speakers:
Karen Crowther, Richard Dawid, Neil Dewar, Michael Esfeld, Dennis Lehmkuhl, J. Brian Pitts, James Read, Kian Salimkhani, Alastair Wilson, Christian Wüthrich

Save the date: Foundations 2018

The 19th U.K. and European Meeting on the Foundations of Physics

We are delighted to announce that the 19th U.K. and European Meeting on the Foundations of Physics will take place 10-13 July 2018 at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands (Tuesday evening – Friday evening, with an optional excursion on Saturday 14 July). This follows on from the very successful previous editions at LSE (2016) and Munich (2013). The call for papers is to follow in due course.

RIP: Robert S Cohen (1923-2017)

As many readers may already know, Bob Cohen has sadly passed away earlier this week. Alisa Bokulich, the current director of the Boston Center for Philosophy and History of Science, an eminent center in the field co-founded by Cohen, has sent me the following link to their memorial page for him which has an obituary, photos, and remembrances:

http://www.bu.edu/cphs/about/robert-cohen/

Call for Participation: Symmetries and Asymmetries in Physics, 6-8 July 2017

The Institute of Philosophy, Leibniz-University Hannover invites participation to the following three-day conference:

Symmetries and Asymmetries in Physics
6-8 July 2017
https://conferencehannover.wixsite.com/philphysics17

Symmetry considerations are at the heart of modern physics, both in quantum theory and in relativity, and discussions of the place of symmetries and asymmetries in physics occupy a central place in research in the foundations of physics. Issues that have attracted a significant amount of attention recently include the significance of gauge symmetries, the role of symmetry breaking, and questions concerning the empirical status of symmetry principles. Moreover, these issues also relate directly to traditional problems in the general philosophy of science, such as the status of the laws of nature or the relationships between mathematics, physical theory, and the world. This conference aims to contribute new ideas to these new and traditional problems.

Call for participation: With and without Measure: Symmetry and Symmetry Breaking, June 20, 2017

The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy invites participation to the following event:

With and without Measure: Symmetry and Symmetry Breaking

MCMP, LMU Munich
June 20, 2017

http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/events/workshops/container/symmetries2017/index.html