Quo Vadis Tempus?

The University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne announce the first “Geneva-Lausanne Workshop on Philosophy of Physics: Quo Vadis Tempus?” to be held at the Faculté des Lettres of the Université de Lausanne (Ampiphole 315.15) in Lausanne, Switzerland, 24-25 May 2023.

Time is probably one of the most mysterious ingredients of the universe. On the one hand, time is unique and elusive. On the other, it seems to be an intrinsic, familiar part of our lives and world. It is then no surprise that philosophers and scientists have found in the nature of time a fertile terrain for philosophical and scientific inquiry. However, the more we dig into the nature of time, the more mysteries emerge.

The first Geneva-Lausanne Workshop addresses, from different perspectives, philosophical problems around the nature of time in philosophy and physics, combining the longstanding tradition of the universities of Geneva and Lausanne in philosophy of physics with the expertise of our three invited speakers: Sam Baron (Australian Catholic University), Tim Koslowski (University of Würzburg), and Antonio Vassallo (Warsaw University of Technology).

The workshop also aims to strengthen the relations between both universities, to promote the interchange of perspectives, and to foster the collaboration with students and researchers out of Switzerland.

In this spirit, everyone is kindly invited to attend the workshop and get involved in the discussions. Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory. If you would like to attend, please visit the registration page on our website.

Amphipole, Room 315.1, Université de Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
 [All times are CET]
 

• 10.00 - 10.30 Time reversing quantum systems - Cristian López (University of Lausanne)
• 10.30 – 11.00 What is a reference frame in General Relativity?- Nicola Bamonti (University of Geneva/SNS)
• 11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break
  11.30 – 12.30 Introduction to shape dynamics - Tim Koslowski (University of Würzburg)

• 12.30 – 14.30 Lunch Break

• 14.30 – 15.00 Super-substantivalist Becoming in Physics - Tannaz Najafi (University of Geneva/University of Lisbon)
• 15.00 – 15.30 Special Relativity's Lessons for Quantum Mechanics: Two Case Studies - Tim Riedel (University of Geneva) and Ryan Miller (University of Geneva)
• 15.30 – 16.00 Coffee Break
• 16.00 – 16.45 Relational primitivism about the direction of time - Michael Esfeld (University of Lausanne)
• 16.45 – 17.30 Rethinking geometry in physics - Amine Rusi (University of Lausanne)

Amphipole, Room 315.1, Université de Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland
 [All times are CET]

 
• 09.30 - 10.15 TBA - Cecilia Bejarano (University of Buenos Aires)
• 10.15 – 11.00 Super-substantivalism, explanatory dependence, and general relativity - Manuel Herrera (University of Buenos Aires)
• 11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break
• 11.30 – 12.30 Pure shape dynamics, self-subsisting structures, and the nature of time - Antonio Vassallo (WUT)

• 12.30 – 14.30 Lunch Break

• 14.30 – 15.00 Losing time in classical and quantum cosmology - Charlotte Erika Zito (University of Geneva) and Marta Pedroni (University of Geneva)
• 15.00 – 15.30 Burgess and the Bucket: The Emergence of Spacetime in Classical Theories of Gravitation - Lorenzo Cocco (University of Geneva) and Joshua Babic (University of Geneva)
• 15.30 – 16.00 Coffee Break
• 16.00 – 16.30 Is spacetime an accident? - Christian Wüthrich (University of Geneva)
• 16.30 – 17.00 Baby Universes Need Parental Watch - Baptiste Le Bihan (University of Geneva) and Saakshi Dulani  (University of Geneva)
• 17.00 – 18.00 Causation and quantum gravity - Sam Baron (Australian Catholic University)