Metaphysical Perspectives on Contemporary Physics
October 17, 2024
Where: Room B112.D, Library Building
When: Thursday October 17 from 14:00–19:00 and Friday October 18 from 10:00–15:30
This workshop presents a selection of metaphysical and foundational issues that arise in connections with modern physical theories. The main focus is on the metaphysical aspects of quantum mechanics, including such topics as the stochastic interpretation of quantum field theory, the relation between scientific realism and the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, perspectivism in general philosophy of science and in quantum mechanics, permutation-invariance of quantum theory. Other issues discussed in the workshop are: the relation between determinism and epistemic incompleteness, non-standard cosmology and metaphysical infinitism, and the use of partial structures in ontic structural realism.
Conference Program:
Thursday October 17:
14:00–15:00 Hans C. Öttinger (ETH Zürich) – Stochastic bra-ket interpretation of quantum mechanics based on quantum field theory
15:00–16:00 Kian Salimkhani (University of Cologne) – TBA
16:00–16:30 Coffee Break
16:30–17:30 Valia Allori (University of Bergamo) – Against the Measurement Problem: On the Incompatibility between Scientific Realism and Quantum Mechanics
17:30–18:30 Quentin Ruyant (University of Lisbon) – Perspectivism, Concrete and Abstract
Friday October 18:
10:00–11:00 Matteo Morganti (University of Rome 3) – Non-Standard Cosmology and Metaphysical Infinitism. A Case Study in Naturalistic Metaphysics
11:00–12:00 Jennan Ismael (John Hopkins University) – Determinism and Incompleteness
12:00–13:30 Lunch & Coffee Break
13:30–14:30 Tomasz Bigaji (University of Warsaw) – Symmetries and qualitative indistinguishability
14:30–15:30 Raoni Arroyo (Universidade Estadual de Campinas) – OSR shouldn’t use partial structures anymore
Organizers:
Andrea Oldofredi (University of Lisbon)
Tomasz Bigaj (University of Warsaw)
