[MaFLA] Logic and Philosophy of Science Seminar, Balázs Gyenis

[Gömöri Márton]

Logic and Philosophy of Science Seminar
Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy
Eötvös Loránd University
Budapest, Múzeum krt. 4/i Room 224
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P R O G R A M

The seminar is held in hybrid format, in person (Múzeum krt. 4/i Room 224)
and online.
Zoom link
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84594385686?pwd=a7KPWoNLrPg11xNTi5Ug91YR5mHmmS.1>

9 October (Friday) 4:15 PM  Room 224 + ONLINE

Balázs Gyenis
Institute of Philosophy, ELTE Research Centre for the Humanities

A "zero principles", operationally verifiable approach to special relativity

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ABSTRACT:

I outline a novel approach to special relativity that does not assume the
principle of relativity, the light postulate, a pre-given notion of
inertiality, group theoretical properties of transformations, or Minkowski
spacetime. The basic mathematical structure can be interpreted as a
specification of a set of agents, the type of actions they can perform, and
the type of observations they can make, and under this interpretation the
truth of every needed assumption is completely determined by information
available to an agent. The assumptions are strong enough to entail
Minkowskian kinematics (relativity of simultaneity, reciprocal length
contraction, time dilation, relativistic velocity addition, interval
invariance, and so on), yet weak enough to leave rest, the dynamical
behavior of rods and clocks, a speed that limits causal processes, and
background chronogeometry underdetermined. In particular, the assumptions
are weak enough that they have philosophically interesting unintended
models: on the one hand, they are compatible with Newtonian physics (where
in one frame of reference a signal - that does not need to be light -
propagates homogeneously and isotropically), and on the other hand, they
are compatible with globally conformally distorted Minkowski spacetimes in
which the principle of relativity does not hold. The mathematical basis of
the approach is a new Alexandrov-type rigidity theorem on a cone.

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LPS - Logic and Philosophy of Science (Student and Faculty Seminar)
Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy, Eötvös University Budapest
http://phil.elte.hu/lps

The seminar is open to everyone, including students, visitors, and faculty
members from all departments and institutes! Format: 60 minute lecture,
coffee break, discussion.

Organizers: Márton Gömöri and Zalán Molnár
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