Shows
MCMP – Philosophy of ScienceOn the Distinction between Internal and External SymmetriesRadin Dardashti (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (2 July, 2014) titled "On the Distinction between Internal and External Symmetries". Abstract: There is no doubt that symmetries play an important role in fundamental physics, but there is no agreement among physicists on what this role exactly is. So it is not surprising that it has caught the interest of philosophers in recent years leading to a lively discussion on the epistemological and ontological significance of symmetries. Especially in this context it becomes relevant whether common distinctions made between different kinds of symmetries are purely conventional or have a deeper...
2019-04-1943 minMCMP – EpistemologyFast, Frugal and Focused: When less information leads to better decisionsGregory Wheeler (MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (25 June, 2014) titled "Fast, Frugal and Focused: When less information leads to better decisions". Abstract: People frequently do not abide by the total evidence norm of classical Bayesian rationality but instead use just a few items of information among the many available to them. Gerd Gigerenzer and colleagues have famously shown that decision-making with less information often leads to objectively better outcomes, which raises an intriguing normative question: if we could say precisely under what circumstances this "less is more" effect occurs, we conceivably could say when people should reason the...
2019-04-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsBohmian Mechanics, speakable quantum physicsDetlef Dürr (LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (23 January, 2013) titled "Bohmian Mechanics, speakable quantum physics". Abstract: I introduce Bohmian Mechanics, which is a theory of particles in motion. The law of motion is not classical, i.e. the particles do not move on Newtonian trajectories. As this is often not appreciated I shall discuss some features which will help to sharpen one's intuition about this theory of nature.
2019-04-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsQuantisation as a guide to ontic structureKarim Thébault (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (9 January, 2013) titled "Quantisation as a guide to ontic structure". Abstract: The ontic structural realist stance is motivated by a desire to do philosophical justice to the success of science, whilst withstanding the metaphysical undermining generated by the various species of ontological underdetermination. We are, however, as yet in want of general principles to provide a scaffold for the explicit construction of structural ontologies. Here we will attempt to bridge this gap by utilising the formal procedure of quantisation as a guide to ontic structure of modern physical theory. T...
2019-04-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsGravity. An exercise in quantizationIgor Khavkine (Utrecht) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Gravity. An exercise in quantization". Abstract: The quantization of General Relativity (GR) is an old and chellenging prob- lem that is in many ways still awaiting a satisfactory solution. GR is a partic- ularly complicated field theory in several respects: non-linearity, gauge invari- ance, dynamibal causal structure, renormalization, singularities, infared effects. Fortunately, much progress has been made on each of these fronts. Our under- standing of these problems has evolved greatly over the past century, together with our understandig of quantum field theory...
2019-04-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsAgainst Dogma: Locality, Conditionalisation, and Collapse in Relativistic Quantum MechanicsThomas Pashby (Pittsburgh) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (28 May, 2014) titled "Against Dogma: Locality, Conditionalisation, and Collapse in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics". Abstract: I argue here against the widespread view (due to David Malament) that the non-commutativity of non-instantaneous localisation projections implies the existence of act-outcome correlations in relativistic QM. There are two facets to my argument: first, I claim that the interpretation of collapse as a process brought about by the experimenter is mistaken; second, I contend that a fully relativistic model should not condition on the occurrence of spacelike separated instantaneous events. This leaves the door open to...
2019-04-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsHow to Bite the Bullet of Quidditism - Why a Standard Argument against Categoricalism in Physics FailsAndreas Barrels (Bonn) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (7 May, 2014) titled "How to Bite the Bullet of Quidditism - Why a Standard Argument against Categoricalism in Physics Fails". Abstract: Categoricalism is the statement that fundamental properties of physics are categorical, i.e., they have their dispositional characters not with metaphysical necessity. According to Black (2000), Bird (2005, 2007), and Esfeld (2009), categoricalism entails quidditism, the possible existence of properties which are not exclusively individuated by their dispositional characters. If quidditism is true, we cannot know, in principle, whether it is property F or its “Doppelgänger” G that shows up by exhibiting a certa...
2019-04-1800 minMCMPMathematical Empiricism. A Methodological ProposalHannes Leitgeb (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Mathematical Empiricism. A Methodological Proposal". Abstract: I will propose a way of doing (mathematical) philosophy which I am calling 'mathematical empiricism'. It is the proposal to rationally reconstruct language, thought, ends, decision-making, communication, social interaction, norms, ideals, and so on, in conceptual frameworks. The core of each such framework will be a space of "possibilities", however, these "possibilities" will consist of nothing else than mathematical structures labeled by empirical entities. Mathematical empiricism suggests to carry out (many) rational reconstructions...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPNotations and Diagrams in AlgebraSilvia de Toffoli (Stanford University) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Notations and Diagrams in Algebra". Abstract: The aim of this talk is to investigate the roles of Commutative Diagrams (CDs) in a specific mathematical domain, and to unveil the reasons underlying their effectiveness as a mathematical notation; this will be done through a case study. It will be shown that, differently from other mathematical diagrams, CDs do not depict spatial relations, but represent mathematical structures. CDs will be interpreted as a hybrid notation, that goes beyond the traditional...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPEthics and Morality in the Vienna CircleAnne Siegetsleitner (Innsbruck) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Ethics and Morality in the Vienna Circle". Abstract: In my talk I will present key aspects of a long-overdue revision of the prevailing view on the role and conception of ethics and morality in the Vienna Circle. This view is rejected as being too partial and undifferentiated. Not all members supported the standard view of logical empiricist ethics, which is held to be characterized by the acceptance of descriptive empirical research, the rejection of normative and substantial ethics as well...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPDegrees of Truth Explained AwayRossella Marrano (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Degrees of Truth Explained Away". Abstract: The notion of degrees of truth arising in infinite-valued logics has been the object of long-standing criticisms. In this paper I focus on the alleged intrinsic philosophical implausibility of degrees of truth, namely on objections concerning their very nature and their role, rather than on objections questioning the adequacy of degrees of truth as a model for vagueness. I suggest that interpretative problems encountered by the notion are due to a...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPWhat Are No-Go Theorems Good for?Radin Dardashti (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "What Are No-Go Theorems Good for?". Abstract: No-go Theorems in physics have often been construed as impossibility results with respect to some goal. These results usually have had two effects on the field. Either, the no-go result effectively stopped that research programme or one or more of the assumptions involved in the derivation were questioned. In this talk I address some general features of no-go theorems and try to address the question how no-go results should be interpreted. The...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPMathematical Philosophy and Leitgeb’s Carnapian Big Tent: Past, Present, FutureAndré W. Carus (LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Mathematical Philosophy and Leitgeb’s Carnapian Big Tent: Past, Present, Future". Abstract: Hannes Leitgeb’s conception of mathematical philosophy, reflected in the success of the MCMP, is characterized by a pluralism — a Big Tent program — that shows remarkable continuity with the Vienna Circle, as now understood. But logical empiricism was notoriously opposed to metaphysics, which Leitgeb and other recent scientifically-oriented philosophers, such as Ladyman and Ross, embrace to varying degrees. So what, if anything, do these new, post-Vienna scientific philosoph...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPValuing QuestionsLiam Kofi Bright (CMU Pittsburgh) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Valuing Questions". Abstract: If all scientists seek the truth, will they agree on how this search should be carried out? Social epistemologists have alleged that were scientists to be truth seekers they would display an unwelcome homogeneity in their choice of what projects to pursue. However, philosophers of science have argued that the injunction to seek the truth is incapable of providing any guidance to scientific project selection. Drawing on theories of the semantics of questions to construct...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPRelating Theories of Intensional Semantics: Established Methods and Surprising ResultsKristina Liefke (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Relating Theories of Intensional Semantics: Established Methods and Surprising Results". Abstract: Formal semantics comprises a plethora of ‘intensional’ theories which model propositional attitudes through the use of different ontological primitives (e.g. possible/impossible worlds, partial situations, unanalyzable propositions). The ontological relations between these theories are, today, still largely unexplored. In particular, it remains unclear whether the basic objects of some of these theories can be reduced to objects from other theories (s.t. phenomena which are modeled by one...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPInductive Reasoning with Conceptual Spaces: A Proposal for AnalogyMarta Sznajder (University of Groningen/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Inductive Reasoning with Conceptual Spaces: A Proposal for Analogy". Abstract: In his late work on inductive logic Carnap introduced the conceptual level of representations – i.e. conceptual spaces – into his system. Traditional inductive logic (e.g. Carnap 1950) is a study of inductive reasoning that belongs to the symbolic level of cognitive representation (in the three-level view of representations presented by Gärdenfors (2000)). In the standard, symbolic approach the confirmation functions are functions applied to propositions defined with respe...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPFive Years MCMP: Looking BackRoland Poellinger (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Five Years MCMP: Looking Back". Abstract: In this presentation I will speak about the MCMP's outreach and line up some of the center's achievements in the last five years. I will put special emphasis on our media output since many of our activities are mirrored in our media-related efforts such as our video channels on iTunes U, our Coursera online courses, and our publication database on the MCMP's web portal.
2018-03-1700 minMCMPOn Some Puzzling Features of Existential DiscourseDolf Rami (Göttingen) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (21 January, 2016) titled "On Some Puzzling Features of Existential Discourse". Abstract: Existence is a very puzzling notion that bewitched philosophers since the beginning of Western Philosophy. In this talk, I will compare the three most popular general views on existence and I will point out their main advantages and weaknesses. These are (a) the often so-called second-level view of existence, (b) the Meinongian view of existence and (c) the Parmendian view of existence. I will try to show that the best overall view of existence is a version of the P...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPOn the Role of Supplementation Principles in MereologyAaron Cotnoir (St. Andrews) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (4 February, 2016) titled "On the Role of Supplementation Principles in Mereology". Abstract: Mereology is the formal theory of parts and wholes. Despite the frequent claim that a certain class of `supplementation' principles are analytically true of the concept of parthood, students of mereology often find such principles tricky to understand. This is made more complicated by the supposed relation between supplementation and mereological extensionality. In this paper, I outline the algebraic role of supplementation and argue that, contrary to received opinion, extensionalists and non-extensionalist alike should accept them.
2018-03-1700 minMCMPCausation & Time ReversalMatt Farr (Queensland) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (20 January, 2016) titled "Causation & Time Reversal". Abstract: What would it be for a process to happen ‘backwards’ in time? Would such a process involve different causal relations? On a standard interpretation of time reversal, time reversal symmetric theories radically underdetermine causal relations between events. This has led many to imply that time reversal symmetry motivates eliminativism about causation. This paper assesses the compatibility of time reversal symmetry with causation by asking whether causal relations ought to invert under the action of time reversal or remain invariant. I show that in neit...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPOn the Relationship Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic JustificationsNeil Barton (Birkbeck) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (14 January, 2016) titled "On the Relationship Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Justifications". Abstract: Recent discussions of the justification of new axioms for set theory have often focussed on a distinction between two different kinds of justification. Intrinsic justifications argue that putative axioms are implied by an underlying mathematical conception, whereas extrinsic justifications concern the consequences of said principle. In this paper, we argue that intrinsic and extrinsic justification as it has been explained in the literature is unsatisfactory. In its stead we propose a new account of intrinsic and extrinsic justification, one...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPTurbulence, Universality and EmergenceMargaret Morrison (Toronto) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (3 February, 2016) titled "Turbulence, Universality and Emergence". Abstract: Turbulent flows are paradigm cases of complex systems where multi-scale modelling is required. The fundamental problems in the field are strong fluctuations and couplings – problems that are also present in condensed matter physics (CMP) and field theory. Like the latter two areas of physics, renormalization group methods have been used to treat some of the theoretical difficulties with turbulent flows. However, unlike CMP where universality and emergence is, in some sense, reasonably understood, it is less than straightforward in cases of turbulence. I ex...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPHow (not) to make everyone better offAnna Mahtani (LSE) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (16 December, 2015) titled "How (not) to make everyone better off". Abstract: he concept of ‘pareto superiority’ plays a central role in welfare economics. Pareto superiority is sometimes taken as a relation between outcomes, and sometimes as a relation between actions – even where the outcome of the actions is uncertain. Whether one action is classed as (ex ante) pareto superior to another depends on the prospects under the actions for each person concerned. I argue that a person's prospects (in this context) can depend on how that person is designated. Without any constr...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPNon-Classical KnwoledgeEthan Jerzak (Berkeley) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (17 December, 2015) titled "Non-Classical Knwoledge".
2018-03-1700 minMCMPThe Quantified Argument CalculusHanoch Ben-Yami (CEU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (16 December, 2015) titled "The Quantified Argument Calculus". Abstract: I present the principles of a logic I have developed, in which quantified arguments occur in the argument position of predicates. That is, while the natural language sentence ‘Alice is polite’ is formalised P(a), the sentence ‘Some students are polite’ is formalised P(∃S). In this and several other respects, this logic is closer to Natural Language than is any version of Frege’s Predicate Calculus. I proceed to discuss further features of this logic, the Quantified Argument Calculus (Quarc). For instance, the Quarc in...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPAnaphora and Presuppositions in Dependent Type SemanticsDaisuke Bekki (Ochanomizu University) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (2 December, 2015) titled "Anaphora and Presuppositions in Dependent Type Semantics". Abstract: Dependent type semantics (DTS) is a framework of proof-theoretic discourse semantics based on dependent type theory, following the line of Sundholm and Ranta. DTS attains compositionality as required to serve as a semantic component of modern formal grammars including variations of categorial grammars, which is achieved by adopting a mechanism for underspecified terms. In DTS, the calculation of presupposition projection reduces to type checking, and the calculation of anaphora resolution and presupposition binding both reduce to proof search in...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPEnsemble Realism. A new Approach to Statistical Mechanical ProbabilityNick Tosh (NUI Galway) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (2 December, 2015) titled "Ensemble Realism. A new Approach to Statistical Mechanical Probability". Abstract: “What we know about a body can generally be described most accurately and most simply by saying that it is one taken at random from a great number (ensemble) of bodies which are completely described.” So wrote Willard Gibbs in 1902, but with his fingers crossed, for he regarded ensembles as convenient fictions. A century later, they are still convenient, and we still have no settled account of the literal meaning of statistical mechanical probability assignments. My aim is t...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPPan-Perspectival RealismPaul Teller (UC Davis) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (10 December, 2015) titled "Pan-Perspectival Realism". Abstract: Conventional scientific realism is just the doctrine that our theoretical terms refer. Conventional antirealism denies, for various reasons, theoretical reference and takes theory to give us only information about the word of the perceptual where reference, it would appear, is secure. But reference fails for the perceptual every bit as much for the perceptual as for the theoretical, and for the same reason: the world is too complicated for us to succeed in attaching specific referents to our terms. That would appear to leave...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPAnti-Exceptionalism About LogicOle Hjortland (Bergen) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (3 December, 2015) titled "Anti-Exceptionalism About Logic". Abstract: Logic isn’t special. Its theories are continuous with science; its method continuous with scientific method. Logic isn’t a priori, nor are its truths analytic truths. Logical theories are revisable, and if they are revised, they are revised on the same grounds as scientific theories. These are the tenets of anti-exceptionalism about logic. The position is most famously defended by Quine, but has more recent advocates in Maddy (2002), Priest (2006a; 2014), Russell (2014; 2015), and Williamson (2013b; 2015). Anti- exceptionalism would not be an attractive position, however, if i...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPThe Unreasonable Effectiveness of Nonstandard AnalysisSam Sanders (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (26 November, 2015) titled "The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Nonstandard Analysis". Abstract: There is a persistent belief, propagated by such luminaries as Errett Bishop and Alain Connes, that infinitesimals (in the sense of Robinson’s Nonstandard Analysis (NSA) ) somehow are fundamentally non-constructive and that NSA is devoid of numerical meaning, as Bishop was wont to say. In this talk, we disprove the Bishop-Connes claim regarding NSA. To this end, we show that theorems of NSA are equivalent to their associated “highly constructive" theorems from numerical analysis (not involving NSA). We shall focus on p...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPGini vs. Shannon: The Case for Quadratic Entropy in Formal Philosophy of ScienceVincenzo Crupi (Turin) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (26 November, 2015) titled "Gini vs. Shannon: The Case for Quadratic Entropy in Formal Philosophy of Science". Abstract: A probabilistic representation of the notion of uncertainty is an important tool in formal philosophy of science and epistemology: it yields theoretical and mathematical connections with the informativeness of a statement, gradational accuracy, evidential support, how a probability distribution diverges from another, the expected informational utility of an experiment, and more besides. Whenever a choice is made for a measure of uncertainty in these contexts, Shannon entropy is standard, but it is by no...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPQuantum Causal Models, Faithfulness and RetrocausalityPeter Evans (Queensland) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (25 November, 2015) titled "Quantum Causal Models, Faithfulness and Retrocausality". Abstract: Wood and Spekkens (2015) argue that any causal model explaining the EPRB correlations and satisfying no-signalling must also violate the assumption that the model faithfully reproduces the statistical dependences and independences---a so-called “fine-tuning” of the causal parameters; this includes, in particular, retrocausal explanations of the EPRB correlations. I consider this analysis with a view to enumerating the possible responses an advocate of retrocausal explanations might propose. I focus on the response of Näger (2015), who argues that the central ideas of causal expla...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPPositive Reflection CalculiLev Beklemishev (Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (12 November, 2015) titled "Positive Reflection Calculi". Abstract: We deal with the fragment of propositional modal logic consisting of implications of formulas built up from the variables and the constant `true' by conjunction and diamonds only. We call such fragments strictly positive. The interest towards strictly positive modal logics independently emerged around 2010 in two different disciplines: the work on description logic by Zakharyaschev, Kurucz, et al., and the work on proof-theoretic applications of provability logic by myself, Dashkov, et al. The advantages of considering such fragments are twofold...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPCounterfactual Belief and ActualityJan Heylen (KU Leuven) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (19 November, 2015) titled "Counterfactual Belief and Actuality". Abstract: The central question of this article is how to combine counterfactual theories of knowledge with the notion of actuality. It is argued that the straightforward combination of these two elements leads to problems, viz. the problem of collapsing knowledge and the problem of missing knowledge. In other words, there is overgeneration of knowledge and there is undergeneration of knowledge. The combination of these problems cannot be solved by appealing to methods by which beliefs are formed. An alternative solution is put forward...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPWhere are the Woman in Medieval Logic?Sara Uckelman (Durham University) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (18 November, 2015) titled "Where are the Woman in Medieval Logic?". Abstract: Recent research into medieval logic has shown that the field is full of material of interest to the contemporary logicians, from dynamic analyses of the relationship between proof and knowledge, to novel solutions to the Liar paradox (and others), to logics for deceit and lying, to reasoning about uncertainty and ignorance, and much, much more. Recent research has also shown that many contemporary academic disciplines, mathematics and philosophy included, suffer from a problematic gender imbalance, with women disproportionately underrepresented...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPTruthlikeness, Accuracy and Epistemic ValueGraham Oddie (Boulder) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (29 October, 2015) titled "Truthlikeness, Accuracy and Epistemic Value".
2018-03-1700 minMCMPDoxastic Responsibility and the Basing RelationAnne Meylan (Basel) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (11 November, 2015) titled "Doxastic Responsibility and the Basing Relation". Abstract: People are responsible for their beliefs and not only for their actions. However, they are not apparently able to control their beliefs as they are able to control their actions. This is what I call “the problem of doxastic responsibility”. The aim of this presentation is to describe a difficulty for a particular solution to this problem. This solution —I dub it “the solution of reasons-responsiveness”— has been extensively defended recently. The plan is as follows. In the first and second part, I pres...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPAdmissibility Decisions, Permissible PrevisionsArthur Pedersen (Max Planck Institute/MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (5 November, 2015) titled "Admissibility Decisions, Permissible Previsions". Abstract: In this talk I shall consider the problem of designing a theory of judgment and decision making that adequately addresses outstanding challenges to the normative adequacy of strict “Bayesian” theories inspired by the pioneering developments of Ramsey, de Finetti, and Savage. The questions I shall ask are basic ones: how are personal opinions expressed in situations of uncertainty, especially those where information is conflicting or scarce; what bearing do they have upon decisions taken to promote personal objectives; and what norm...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPGustav Shpet on the Function of Understanding HistoryElena Tatievskaya (Augsburg) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (4 November, 2015) titled "Gustav Shpet on the Function of Understanding History". Abstract: I discuss the question whether the method of history can be characterized with the help of the concept of understanding without reference to empathy. I consider as an argument for such a possibility Shpet’s (1879-1937) “logic of history”. Its formulation is based upon the assumption that the subject matter of history defines the peculiarities of its methods. According to Shpet history deals with “organizations which function as “messages”. The meaning of such a message is an end-means-relation to be defined...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPFirst Steps towards Non-Classical Logic of Informal ProvabilityRafal Urbaniak (Ghent) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (29 October, 2015) titled "First Steps towards Non-Classical Logic of Informal Provability". Abstract: Mathematicians prove theorems in a semi-formal setting, providing what we'll call informal proofs.
There are various philosophical reasons not to reduce informal provability to formal provability within some appropriate axiomatic theory (see Marfori 2010, Leitgeb 2009). But the main worry is that we have a strong intuition that whatever is informally provable is true. So we seem committed to all instances of the so-called reflection schema: P(A) -> A (where P is the informal provability predicate). Yet, a sufficiently...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPEpistemic Logic, Game Theory and BehaviorRohit Parikh (CUNY) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (29 October, 2015) titled "Epistemic Logic, Game Theory and Behavior". Abstract: Enormous developments have taken place in epistemic reasoning since the foundational work of Hintikka and Lewis. But the entry of computer scientists in this area has made for much more rapid and more technical developments. We will cover the following topics: (a) Kripke structures and Aumann structures; (b) Formalism and completeness; (c) Communication and change in knowledge thereby; (d) The dependence of action on states of knowledge; (e) Manipulation of actions via manipulation of knowledge; (f) Deducing states of belief from...
2018-03-1700 minMCMPWhat can we learn from Analogue Experiments?Karim Thebault (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on "Why trust a Theory?" (7-9 December, 2015) titled "What can we learn from Analogue Experiments?". Abstract: In 1981 Unruh proposed that fluid mechanical experiments could be used to probe key aspects of the quantum phenomenology of black holes. In particular, he claimed that an analogue to Hawking radiation could be created within a fluid mechanical 'dumb hole'. Since then an entire sub-field of 'analogue gravity' has been created. In 2014 Steinhauer reported the experimental observation of Hawking radiation within a Bose-Einstein condensate dumb hole. What can we learn from such analogue experiments...
2018-03-1300 minMCMPNon-empirical ConfirmationRichard Dawid (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on "Why trust a Theory?" (7-9 December, 2015) titled "Non-empirical Confirmation". Abstract: The talk will analyse reasons for the high degree of trust many physicists have developed in empirically unconfirmed theories. An extension of the concept of theory confirmation (to be called “non-empirical confirmation”) will be suggested that allows for confirmation by observations that are not predicted by the theory in question. The last part of the talk will address a number of worries that have been raised with respect to this approach.
2018-03-1300 minMCMPPhysics without Experiments?Radin Dardashti (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on "Why trust a Theory?" (7-9 December, 2015) titled "Physics without Experiments?". Abstract: Most of the fundamental theories in modern physics are relevant at energy scales or length scales where empirical access is currently hard to obtain. Accounts of theory assessment within the philosophy of science literature are, however, usually concerned with the relation between the theory and the empirical data they predict. So these “traditional” approaches seem not to allow for theory assessment in these cases. Recently, Richard Dawid has developed an account of non-empirical theory assessment, which uses evidence not...
2018-03-1300 minMCMPOpening WordsOpening Words by Richard Dawid (MCMP/LMU), Stephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU) and Dieter Lüst (LMU) at the Workshop on "Why trust a Theory?" (7-9 December, 2015).
2018-03-1300 minMCMPA Deflationary Account of ClassesThomas Schindler (University of Cambridge/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "A Deflationary Account of Classes". Abstract: Charles Parsons claims that the introduction of the notion of class answers to a need to generalise on predicate places. Similarly, the notion of truth answers to a need to generalise on sentence places. Deflationism about truth is the view that truth is no more than that. This suggests that we should also consider deflationism about classes. I'll start by exploring some consequences of a deflationary account of classes. In the...
2016-06-1300 minMCMPFormal Methods in the Study of TruthLavinia Picollo (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Formal Methods in the Study of Truth". Abstract: The nature of truth has been an issue in philosophy since ancient times. Several theories have been proposed, the most popular of which is correspondentism, the idea that truth bearers are true as long as they correspond to certain chunks of reality. At the beginning of the XX century a rival theory emerged: deflationism. Unlike correspondentists, deflationists put forward an explanation of truth in logical terms. This leads to the formulation...
2016-06-1300 minMCMPTowards an Adequate Criterion of Structural Equivalence of TheoriesLaurenz Hudetz (University of Salzburg) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Towards an Adequate Criterion of Structural Equivalence of Theories". Abstract: My aim in this talk is to provide a general and adequate explication of structural equivalence of scientific theories. I will first give a brief overview of the recent debate about criteria for structural equivalence and highlight the main problems of the criteria proposed so far. I argue that an adequate criterion of equivalence should explicitly take into account morphisms between the models of theories. The criterion of...
2016-06-1300 minMCMPSelf-Referential ProbabilityCatrin Campbell-Moore (University of Cambridge/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Self-Referential Probability". Abstract: In this talk we consider situations where what someone believes can affect what happens, for example: Bettie will be able to jump across a river just if she's confident that she'll be able to do so. These situations can cause problems in formal epistemology: what beliefs are rational for such agents? Such situations bear a close relationship to sentences that say something about their own truth, such as the liar paradox, and the vast...
2016-06-1300 minMCMPA Math-Philosophical Approach to Deontic ConceptsIlaria Canavotto (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "A Math-Philosophical Approach to Deontic Concepts". Abstract: The aim of this talk is to present relevant open lines of research in deontic logic, especially in deontic logic of actions (ought-to-do logic), so as to provide evidence of the potential that mathematical philosophy has in the analysis of prescriptive concepts. I will do this by first making explicit what I take mathematical philosophy to be, at least ideally. I will then consider to what extent dynamic deontic logic (DDL) approaches...
2016-06-1000 minMCMPOpen Reading for Free Choice Permission: A Perspective in Substructural LogicsHuimin Dong (University of Bayreuth) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "Open Reading for Free Choice Permission: A Perspective in Substructural Logics". Abstract:
2016-06-1000 minMCMPHow Bayesianism Adresses the Problem(s) of InductionChloé de Canson (University of Cambridge) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "How Bayesianism Addresses the Problem(s) of Induction". Abstract: The paper seeks to argue that Bayesian Confirmation Theory is the right kind of theory to account for confirmation. More precisely, a thorough (non-Bayesian) analysis of the paradox of the raven is used to show that (i) propositions play the role of evidence; (ii) there are two relations involved in confirmation, a logical one whose relata are propositions, and an epistemic one whose antecedent is a learning event; (i...
2016-06-1000 minMCMPWhat is Truth-Maker Semantics?Johannes Korbmacher (LMU/MCMP) gives a talk at the Workshop on Five Years MCMP: Quo Vadis, Mathematical Philosophy? (2-4 June, 2016) titled "What is Truth-Maker Semantics?". Abstract: The aim of this short programmatic talk is to try to clear up some fundamental concepts of truthmaker semantics. Among the questions that will be addressed are: What is special about truthmaker semantics? What is the concept of truthmaking in truthmaker semantics? What is the concept of truthmakers in truthmaker semantics? The result of the talk will be a list of questions I think proponents of truthmaker semantics should address in the future. What...
2016-06-1000 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsA Categorial Approach to Relativistic LocalityMiklós Rédei (LSE) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (13 May, 2015) titled "A Categorial Approach to Relativistic Locality". Abstract: In the talk relativistic locality of a probabilistic physical theory is interpreted as an interconnected web of properties which express compatibility of the theory with the underlying causal structure of spacetime. Four components of this web are distinguished: spatiotemporal locality, causal locality-Independence, causal locality-Dependence, and causal locality-Dynamic. These four conditions will be specified in terms of concepts from the categorical approach to quantum field theory and results are recalled indicating the extent to which an algebraic quantum field theory sa...
2015-05-2800 minMCMP – LogicWhat is Wrong with the Ramsey TestKarolina Krzyżanowska (MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (13 May, 2015) titled "What is Wrong with the Ramsey Test". Abstract: According to an influential idea of Frank Ramsey, known as the Ramsey Test, evaluating an indicative conditional, “If A then C,” amounts to evaluating the conditional’s consequent, C, on the supposition of its antecedent, A. This idea inspired a popular view among contemporary philosophers and psychologists that the only thing we learn when someone asserts a conditional is that the speaker believes the conditional’s consequent to be highly probable on the supposition that its antecedent holds. Though prima fac...
2015-05-2800 minMCMP – Philosophy of ScienceModeling Cognitive Representations with Evolutionary Game TheoryMarc Artiga (MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (7 May, 2015) titled "Modeling Cognitive Representations with Evolutionary Game Theory". Abstract: Cognitive science has been developed on the idea that cognitive systems are representational. Recently, however, some people have challenged this idea. The goal of this talk is to provide some mathematical tools for resolving this question. More precisely, I will defend two claims. First, I will argue that Evolutionary Game Theory can help us establish which states are representations. Secondly, I will defend that this strategy can be used to show that perceptual states (among others) are indeed representational.
2015-05-1235 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsBayesian Perspectives on the Higgs SearchRichard Dawid (MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (29 April, 2015) titled "Bayesian Perspectives on the Higgs Search". Abstract: The history of the Higgs discovery is characterized by a specific constellation: trust in the existence of a Higgs particle was very strong already before the particle's discovery. This raises the issue of a Bayesian perspective on data analysis in high energy physics in an interesting way that differs from other contexts in the field where the deployment of Bayesian strategies was proposed.
2015-05-1100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsDualitiesElena Castellani (Florence) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (28 January, 2015) titled "Dualities". Abstract: Dualities are a key, intriguing ingredient in mathematics, logic and physics. This talk is concerned with physical dualities, in particular those dualities that have played "a central role in mapping out the structure of theoretical physics" in the past two decades (quoting Polchinski, 2015). Despite the importance of duality in field and string theory, philosophers are just starting to pay the due attention to the subject. This talk is meant as an introduction to discussing the significance of physical dualities, by pointing out the different relevant functions...
2015-02-2000 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsCorpuscular Structure of GeometryGia Dvali (LMU-MPI & NYU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (14 January, 2015) titled "Corpuscular structure of geometry". Abstract: We review some recent ideas on quantum-corpuscular structure of gravitational metric backgrounds, such as black holes and cosmological spaces. We show how this picture sheds light on seemingly-mysterious properties, such as, black hole information processing and evaporation, as well as how it excludes eternal de Sitter space. This picture sheds a very different light on notion of "holography" and cosmological constant problem.
2015-02-1000 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsA New Prescription for the Quantization of Refoliation Invariant Field TheoriesKarim Thebault (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Irvine-Munich Workshop on the Foundations of Classical and Quantum Field Theories (14 December, 2014) titled "A New Prescription for the Quantization of Refoliation Invariant Field Theories". Abstract: Imagine a loaf of bread that we can irregularly cut up into a sequence of slices. The loaf is spacetime and the slices are instantaneous spatial surfaces. A foliation is a parameterization of a spacetime by a time ordered sequence of spatial slices. In a field theory such a parametrization can be local in the sense that it is defined for every point on every spatial...
2014-12-3100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsRelativistic Quantum Particles the Feynman WayBrian Padden (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Irvine-Munich Workshop on the Foundations of Classical and Quantum Field Theories (14 December, 2014) titled "Relativistic Quantum Particles the Feynman Way". Abstract: It is often believed, especially in light of theorems by Malament and others, that there is no relativistic theory of localizable quantum particles. However, an example of exactly such a theory seems to exist, and in fact occupies an important place in the storied history of quantum field theory: Feynman’s path integral approach to quantum electrodynamics. We introduce Feynman’s theory and show that, up to a few minor issues, it i...
2014-12-3100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsClassical Field Theory and Intertheoretic ReductionSamuel Fletcher (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Irvine-Munich Workshop on the Foundations of Classical and Quantum Field Theories (14 December, 2014) titled "Classical Field Theory and Intertheoretic Reduction". Abstract: In 1986, Ehlers set out a program on how to understanding the approximative relationships between different physical theories. However, he essentially only investigated the case of classical and relativistic spacetime theories, which have a number of special features that distinguish them from broader classes of physical theories. To what extent, then, can the Ehlers program be successful? I outline some of the challenges facing the program's generalization and argue that they can...
2014-12-3100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsA Trope Bundle Interpretation of Algebraic Quantum Field TheoryMeinard Kuhlmann (Mainz) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (10 December, 2014) titled "A Trope Bundle Interpretation of Algebraic Quantum Field Theory". Abstract: Algebraic quantum field theory (AQFT) is a conceptually lucid reformulation of the conventional theory of quantum fields. I consider AQFT to be the appropriate starting point for ontological considerations about QFT because, like the philosophical discipline of ontology, AQFT strives for a clear, justified and parsimonious separation of basic and derived classes of entities. I argue that the one-category theory of particularized properties or 'tropes', which analyses all other entities in terms of the basic category of tropes...
2014-12-3100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsThe Primitive Ontology of Quantum PhysicsMichael Esfeld (Lausanne) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (26 November, 2014) titled "The Primitive Ontology of Quantum Physics". Abstract: In this talk, I will first recall the arguments why we need what is known as a primitive ontology of quantum physics and then argue that this ontology consists in primitive stuff that is structurally individuated through metrical relations (but without a commitment to absolute space). Against this background, the only reason to admit physical properties then is that they play a causal role for the temporal development of the primitive stuff. I will sketch out two metaphysical views of these...
2014-12-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsQBism: A Subjective Way to Take Ontic Indeterminism SeriouslyChristopher Fuchs (MPQ Garching) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (20 November, 2014) titled "QBism: A Subjective Way to Take Ontic Indeterminism Seriously". Abstract: The term QBism, invented in 2009, initially stood for Quantum Bayesianism, a view of quantum theory a few of us had been developing since 1993. Eventually, however, I. J. Good's warning that there are 46,656 varieties of Bayesianism came to bite us, with some Bayesians feeling their good name had been hijacked. David Mermin suggested that the B in QBism should more accurately stand for "Bruno", as in Bruno de Finetti, so that we would at least get the variety...
2014-12-1800 minMCMP – EpistemologyI Believe I don't Believe. (And So Can You!)Aidan Lyon (Maryland, MCMP) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (13 November, 2014) titled "I Believe I don't Believe. (And So Can You!)". Abstract: Contemporary epistemology offers us two very different accounts of our epistemic lives. According to Traditional epistemologists, the decisions that we make are motivated by our desires and guided by our beliefs and these beliefs and desires all come in an all-or-nothing form. In contrast, many Bayesian epistemologists say that these beliefs and desires come in degrees and that they should be understood as subjective probabilities and utilities. What are we to make of these different epistemologies? Are...
2014-12-1800 minMCMP – EpistemologyBridging the Gap between Informal and Formal Social EpistemologyAlvin I. Goldman (Rutgers) meets Stephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU) in a joint session on "Bridging the Gap between Informal and Formal Social Epistemology" at the MCMP workshop "Bridges 2014" (2 and 3 Sept, 2014, German House, New York City). The 2-day trans-continental meeting in mathematical philosophy focused on inter-theoretical relations thereby connecting form and content of this philosophical exchange. Idea and motivation: We use theories to explain, to predict and to instruct, to talk about our world and order the objects therein. Different theories deliberately emphasize different aspects of an object, purposefully utilize different formal methods, and necessarily confine their attention to a distinct...
2014-11-0500 minMCMP – EpistemologyBelief vs ProbabilityBranden Fitelson (Rutgers) meets Hannes Leitgeb (MCMP/LMU) in a joint session on "Belief vs Probability" at the MCMP workshop "Bridges 2014" (2 and 3 Sept, 2014, German House, New York City). The 2-day trans-continental meeting in mathematical philosophy focused on inter-theoretical relations thereby connecting form and content of this philosophical exchange. Idea and motivation: We use theories to explain, to predict and to instruct, to talk about our world and order the objects therein. Different theories deliberately emphasize different aspects of an object, purposefully utilize different formal methods, and necessarily confine their attention to a distinct field of interest. The desire to enlarge...
2014-10-1700 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsReduction and the Ontology of Physical TheoriesTim Maudlin (NYU) meets Sebastian Lutz (MCMP/LMU) in a joint session on "Reduction and the Ontology of Physical Theories" at the MCMP workshop "Bridges 2014" (2 and 3 Sept, 2014, German House, New York City). The 2-day trans-continental meeting in mathematical philosophy focused on inter-theoretical relations thereby connecting form and content of this philosophical exchange. Idea and motivation: We use theories to explain, to predict and to instruct, to talk about our world and order the objects therein. Different theories deliberately emphasize different aspects of an object, purposefully utilize different formal methods, and necessarily confine their attention to a distinct field of interest...
2014-10-1600 minMCMP – Philosophy of ScienceUnifying Causal and Non-Causal KnowledgeMichael Strevens (NYU) meets Roland Poellinger (MCMP/LMU) in a joint session on "Unifying Causal and Non-Causal Knowledge" at the MCMP workshop "Bridges 2014" (2 and 3 Sept, 2014, German House, New York City). The 2-day trans-continental meeting in mathematical philosophy focused on inter-theoretical relations thereby connecting form and content of this philosophical exchange. Idea and motivation: We use theories to explain, to predict and to instruct, to talk about our world and order the objects therein. Different theories deliberately emphasize different aspects of an object, purposefully utilize different formal methods, and necessarily confine their attention to a distinct field of interest. The desire...
2014-10-0656 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsNew Work on the Problem of TimeOliver Pooley (Oxford) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (22 January, 2014) titled "New Work on the Problem of Time". Abstract: A central aspect of the "Problem of Time" in canonical general relativity is the result of applying to the theory Dirac's seemingly well-established method of identifying gauge transformations in constrained Hamiltonian theories. This "orthodox" move identifies transformations generated by the first-class constraints as mere gauge. Applied to GR the strategy yields the result that the genuine physical magnitudes of the theory (so identified) do not take on different values at different times. In the context of quantum gravity, this orthodoxy...
2014-02-2100 minMCMP – Philosophy of ScienceReduction and Emergence in PhysicsSebastian Lutz (MCMP/LMU) and Karim Thébault (MCMP/LMU) give a talk at the CAS Research Focus Series „Reduction and Emergence“ (13 November, 2013) titled "Reduction and Emergence in Physics" (host: Stephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU)). Abstract: Matter is composed of small elementary particles whose behavior is predicted very accurately by modern physics. This has led to the suggestion that the fundamental theories of physics are ‘theories of everything’, since in principle they describe the evolution of all matter in the universe. But does the behavior of molecules, magnets and proteins really reduce to that of quarks, gluons and electrons? It often rather se...
2014-02-2141 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsThe Bohmian challengeHeinz-Jürgen Schmidt (Osnabrück) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (27 November, 2013) titled "The Bohmian challenge". Abstract: The Bohmian extension of quantum theory claims to solve the measurement problem by re-establishing, in some sense, the classical ontology of particle trajectories on a microscopic level. In this talk I will not dwell upon the pros and cons to this claim but rather try to explain why this enterprise constitutes a challenge for philosophy of science, especially for those branches striving for rigorous methods. The Bohmian extension is empirically equivalent to standard quantum mechanics and mathematically only an extension by definitions. Th...
2014-02-1800 minMCMP – EpistemologyVague Desire: The Sorites and the Money PumpDavid Etlin (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (21 November, 2013) titled "Vague Desire: The Sorites and the Money Pump". Abstract: The similarity between the sorites paradox of vagueness and the money pump of decision theory has been noted by Dummett (in "Wang's Paradox"), but the connection has not been widely recognized or developed. We argue that on one plausible philosophical theory of linguistic meaning, the Gricean intention based account (as developed in Schiffer's "Meaning"), the paradox of vagueness turn out to be a puzzle about intransitive preferences. Given this, one can solve the sorites paradox by diagnosing the...
2014-02-1800 minMCMP – EpistemologyMeasuring Overconfidence with Imprecise Probabilities & The Wisdom of Collective CredencesAidan Lyon (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (6 November, 2013) titled "Measuring Overconfidence with Imprecise Probabilities & The Wisdom of Collective Credences". Abstract: What explains the Wisdom of Crowds effect? Page (2008) has made some initial progress on this question with what he calls the Diversity Prediction Theorem. The upshot of the theorem is that if a collective has some diversity to it, then the collective’s estimate is guaranteed to be more accurate then the typical estimate in the collective. This appears to be a simple and very general account of the Wisdom of Crowds effect. However, for th...
2014-02-1800 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsAre Classical Black Holes Hot or Cold?Erik Curiel (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (18 December, 2013) titled "Are Classical Black Holes Hot or Cold?". Abstract: In the early 1970s it is was realized that there is a striking formal analogy between the so-called laws of black-hole mechanics and the laws of classical thermodynamics. Before the discovery of Hawking radiation, however, it was generally thought that the analogy was only formal, and did not reflect a deep connection between gravitational and thermodynamical phenomena. In particular, it is still commonly held that the surface gravity of a stationary black hole can be construed as a true...
2014-02-1300 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsEmergent spacetime in condensed matter analogues of general relativityKaren Crowther (Sydney) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (13 November, 2013) titled "Emergent spacetime in condensed matter analogues of general relativity". Abstract: It has been claimed, based on a few different lines of reasoning, that the notion of spacetime will not appear in a quantum theory of gravity. If this is the case, then spacetime is an emergent concept. Analogue models of general relativity based in condensed matter systems present us with concrete examples of emergent spacetime, and could potentially help us understand the nature of emergent spacetime in the context of quantum gravity. These models present a curved spacetime...
2014-01-2300 minMCMP – LogicUnderstanding and inferenceFlorian Steinberger (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on Meaning: Models and Proofs (11-12 Oct, 2013, co-organized by the MCMP and the Arché Research Centre, St Andrews) titled "Understanding and inference".
2013-11-2500 minMCMP – LogicProof Theoretic Harmony in Substructural LogicsOle T. Hjortland (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the Workshop on Meaning: Models and Proofs (11-12 Oct, 2013, co-organized by the MCMP and the Arché Research Centre, St Andrews) titled "Proof Theoretic Harmony in Substructural Logics".
2013-11-2500 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsThe (philosophy of the) HiggsMichael Krämer (RWTH Aachen) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (23 October, 2013) titled "The (philosophy of the) Higgs". Abstract: I will review the physics of the Large hadron Collider LHC, including the recent the discovery of a Higgs particle, and the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. While the talk focusses on the physics, I will also mention various philosophical questions which are being addressed in the context of an interdisciplinary research group on the "Epistemology of the LHC".
2013-11-0400 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsInertial Motion, Explanation, and the Foundations of Classical Spacetime TheoriesJames Owen Weatherall (California) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (19 July, 2013) titled "Inertial Motion, Explanation, and the Foundations of Classical Spacetime Theories". Abstract: There is an influential view in physics and philosophy of physics, originating with Einstein and Eddington, that holds that general relativity is distinctive in the history of physics because it can be used to "explain" inertial, or unforced, motion. In this talk, I will describe how a reformulation of Newtonian gravitation may be used to provide insight into claims concerning the (allegedly) distinctive explanatory resources of relativity theory. I will then argue that Newtonian gravitation can...
2013-11-0400 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsFeynman Diagrams as ModelsMichael Stöltzner (South Carolina) gives a talk at the MCMP Colloquium (17 July, 2013) titled "Feynman Diagrams as Models". Abstract: While Feynman considered his diagrams as pictorial representation of (real and virtual) physical processes, Dyson took then as a mere bookkeeping tool for mathematical expressions in a perturbation series. This split perspective has persisted since, especially when Feynman diagrams gradually extended their sway into modern particle physics. I argue that the modern debates on models in science can build a bridge between both perspectives by granting Feynman diagrams some explanatory autonomy and representative features. While a single Feynman diagram remains isomorph t...
2013-11-0300 minMCMP – LogicOn Carnap on Empirical SignificanceSebastian Lutz (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Carnap on Logic" (3-6 July, 2013) titled "On Carnap on Empirical Significance".
2013-11-0100 minMCMP – LogicThe limits of tolerance? Carnap on the normativity of logicFlorian Steinberger (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Carnap on Logic" (3-6 July, 2013) titled "The limits of tolerance? Carnap on the normativity of logic".
2013-11-0100 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsTime and space in causal set theoryChristian Wüthrich (San Diego) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Time and space in causal set theory". Abstract: Causal set theory offers an elegant and philosophically rich, though admittedly inchoate, approach to quantum gravity. After presenting its basic theoretical framwork, I will show how space and time vanish from the fundamental picture it offers. The absence of space and time from the theory raises the serious question of whether such a theory can be empirically coherent at all, i.e, whether its truth would not undermine any justification we may heave f...
2013-10-1000 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsComment on Dean Rickles' "Dualities and the Physical Content of Theories"Ioan Muntean (Fort Wayne) comments on Dean Rickles' "Dualities and the Physical Content of Theories" at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013).
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsDualities and the Physical Content of TheoriesDean Rickles (Sydney) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Dualities and Physical Content". Abstract: A duality expresses a reltionship between a pair of putatively distinct physical theories. Theories are said to be dualwhen they generate "the same physics", where same physics is parsed in terms of, e.g., having the same amplitudes, expectation values, observable spectra, and so on. Hence, theories related by dualities can look very different while making exactly the same predictions about observatle phenomena. Indeed, such theories can look sufficiently different that would-be interpreters would surely consider them to...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsComment on Richard Dawid's "String Theory and Scientific Realism"Radin Dardashti (MCMP/LMU) comments on Richard Dawid's "String Theory and Scientific Realism" at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013).
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsString Theory and Scientific RealismRichard Dawid (Vienna) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "String Theory and Scientific Realism". Abstract: T-duality, which is an important feature of string theory, implies that the string scale constitutes a minimal length scale: within the conceptual framework of the theory, no higher energy scale can provide new information. This in turn may be taken to suggest that, if ST is valid at its own characteristic scale, no new theories which become empirically distinguishable from string theory at higher energy scales should be expected to be found. The problem with this final...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsComment on Daniele Oriti's "Dissappearance and Emergence of Space and Time in Quantum Gravity"Karen Crowther (Sydney) comments on Daniele Oriti's "Dissappearance and Emergence of Space and Time in Quantum Gravity" at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013).
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsDisappearance and Emergence of Space and Time in Quantum GravityDaniele Oriti (Potsdam) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Disappearance and Emergence of Space and Time in Quantum Gravity". Abstract: We recall the hints for the disappearance of continuum space and time at microsopic scales, coming from classical and semi-classical gravitational physics. These include arguments for discreteness or for a fundamental non-locality, in a quantum theory of gravity. We compare how these ideas are realized in specific quantum gravity approaches, and focus in particular on the group field theory formalism, itself strictly related to other approaches, in particular loop quantum gravity. Next...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsTime RemainsKarim Thébault (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP Workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Time Remains". Abstract: Even classically, it is not entirely clear how one should understand the implications of general covariance for the role of time in physical theory. On one popular view, the essential lesson is that change is relational in a strong sense, such that all that it is for a physical degree of freedom to change is for it to vary with regard to a second physical degree of freedom. This implies that there is no unique parameterziation of time s...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsReal Change Happens in Hamiltonian General Relativity; Just Ask the Lagrangian (about Time-like Killing Vectors, First-Class Constraints and Observables)J. Brian Pitts (Cambridge) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Real Change Happens in Hamiltonian General Relativity; Just Ask the Lagrangian (about Time-like Killing Vectors, First-Class Constraints and Observables)". Abstract: In Hamiltonian GR, change has seemed absent. Attention to the gauge generator G facilitates a neglected calculation: a first-class constraint generates a bad physical change in electromagnetism and GR, spoiling the constraints, Gauss's law or the momentum and Hamiltonian constraints in the (physically relevant) velocities. Only as a team G do first-calss constraints generate a gauge transformation. To find change, insist on...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsEinstein's approach to Quantum GravityDennis Lehmkuhl (Wuppertal) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Einstein's approach to Quantum Gravity". Abstract: It is common knowledge that despite being a pioneer of the early quantum theory, Einstein opposed the probabilistic interpretation of the new quantum mechanics of 1925 / 1926, and he would have opposed any approach of a quantization of gravity relying on this interpretation. What is less well-known is that Einstein had an alternative approach that bears some similarities to more recent ideas to general relativize quantum mechancis rather than quantizing general relativity. Einstein identified discreteness in nature with quantum...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsThe "Shut up and Calculate" Approach to Quantum GravityRobert Helling (LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "The "Shut up and Calculate" Approach to Quantum Gravity". Abstract: Quantum mechanics would have never been developed requiring to first understand all foundational issues. Rahter, it was approached in a pragmatic way summarized as shut up and calculate. For quantum gravity we already understand a number of its properties even if it is still unclear what form the final theory will have and how it solves its conceptual conundrums. The often repeated claim that quantum gravity lacks empirical data is - taken without...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – Philosophy of PhysicsQuantum Geometrodynamics: whence, whither?Claus Kiefer (Cologne) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Quantum Gravity in Perspective" (31 May-1 June, 2013) titled "Quantum Geometrodynamics: whence, whither?". Abstract: Quantum geometrodynamics is canonical quantum gravity with the three-metric as the configuration variable. Its central equation is the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Here I give an overview of the status of this approach. The issues discussed include the problem of time, the relation to the convariant theory, the semiclassical approximation as well as applicatoins to black holes and cosmology. I conclude that quantum geometrodynamics is still a viable approach and provides insights into both the conceptual and technical aspects of...
2013-10-0900 minMCMP – LogicTruth and Speed-upMartin Fischer (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Truth and Paradox" (24-25 May, 2013) titled "Truth and Speed-up".
2013-08-2700 minMCMP – LogicTruth and ParadoxThomas Schindler (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Truth and Paradox" (24-25 May, 2013) titled "Truth and Paradox".
2013-08-2700 minMCMP – LogicNecessities and Necessary Truths. A Proof-Theoretic AddendumJohannes Stern (MCMP/LMU) gives a talk at the MCMP workshop "Truth and Paradox" (24-25 May, 2013) titled "Necessities and Necessary Truths. A Proof-Theoretic Addendum".
2013-08-2700 min
MCMP – Mathematical Philosophy (Archive 2011/12)New Channels for MCMP on iTunes UThe MCMP is proud to present over 250 videos on iTunes U! Thanks for all your contributions in the last two years! In 2013 we are introducting 4 new channels: "Logic", "Epistemology", "Philosophy of Science", "Metaphysics and Philosophy of Language". Have fun exploring!
2013-05-2703 min