[PhilPhys] CfP Thinking about Space and Time: 100 Years of Applying and Interpreting General Relativity (Bern, September 12 - 14, 2017)

[Claus Beisbart]

Call for papers
Thinking about Space and Time:
100 Years of Applying and Interpreting General Relativity

Bern (Switzerland), September 12 – 14, 2017

webpage: _http://www.philosophie.unibe.ch/news/spacetime2017/index_eng.html_

About one hundred years ago, in late 1915, Einstein came up with his 
gravitational field equations of the General Theory of Relativity. This 
is often celebrated as one of the most momentous events in the history 
of science, but at that time, a new theoretical understanding of 
gravitation had really only begun. No exact solutions to the field 
equations were known, and the implications of the theory were almost 
unexplored. It is no surprise, then, that the publication of the field 
equations gave rise to pioneering research – think of Karl 
Schwarzschild's black hole solution to the equations, Einstein's 
discussion about gravitational waves or his first relativistic world 
model. Since the theory has far-reaching implications for our 
understanding of space and time, the discovery of the field equations 
was also followed by intense philosophical discussions to which 
prominent proponents of positivism and neo-Kantianism, e.g. M. Schlick 
and E. Cassirer, made contributions of lasting importance. All in all it 
seems fair to say that, in November 1915, the theory had only just been 
born; what we now know and value as General Theory of Relativity with 
all its features only came into being during the investigations and 
discussions that ensued after the discovery of the field equations.

One hundred years after the first pioneering applications of, and 
reactions to, Einstein's momentous discovery, this conference aims at an 
integrated understanding of how Einstein’s theory of relativity gained 
momentum. The focus is on the early reception of Einstein's theory in 
physics and philosophy and on the systematic questions that emerged 
shortly after Einstein's discovery of the field equations. The 
conference brings together historians of science, philosophers, and 
physicists. Research topics include, but are not limited to,

- cosmological models
- black holes
- gravitational waves
- unified field theory
- metaphysics of space and time
- epistemology of space and time
- the relationship between spacetime and matter

Keynote speakers:

Ruth Durrer (physics, University of Geneva)
Marco Giovanelli (philosophy, University of Tübingen)
Sabine Hossenfelder (physics, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies)
Dan Kennefick (physics, University of Arkansas)
John Norton (HPS, University of Pittsburgh)
Chris Smeenk (philosophy, Western University, Canada)
Jim Weatherall (logic and philosophy of science, University of 
California, Irvine)

Organizers: Claus Beisbart (Bern), Tilman Sauer (Mainz), Christian 
Wüthrich (Geneva)

The conference is generously supported by the Tomalla Foundation, the 
UBS Kulturstiftung, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Albert 
Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics at the University of Bern.

We plan about 15 contributed talks of 30 minutes plus 15 minutes 
discussion time. Contributed speakers are paid up to 4 nights in a hotel 
in Bern. We further offer travel grants for contributed speakers. 
Priority is given to young researchers. If you wish to apply for a 
travel grant, please send an email to _Claus.Beisbart at philo.unibe.ch 
<mailto:Claus.Beisbart at philo.unibe.ch>_, after you have have been 
confirmed to contribute a talk.

If you are interested to present a talk, please submit

  * an extended abstract of about 1,000 words
  * a short abstract of 100 – 200 words (for the conference program)

The extended abstract should be included in one pdf-file prepared for 
anonymous peer review. The papers that are presented at the conference 
are selected with the help of an international scientific board (see 
webpage for information). Please submit your abstract via easychair:

_https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=einstein2017_

Time schedule:

by April 3: Submission of abstracts
by April 21: Notification about decisions
September 12 – 14: Conference
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://listbox.elte.hu/mailman/private/philphys/attachments/20170227/a40f61ed/attachment.html>