A Seminar on the Philosophical Foundations of Quantum Gravity

University Of Illinois At Chicago, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Introduction This award supports a three-day workshop that brings together physicists and philosophers who have a serious interest in the philosophical foundations of quantum gravity theories (the topic of the workshop); string theory is an example of such a theory. Participants include those who have been working in this area for some time as well as those who have just started out in this area, particularly graduate students and recent PhDs. Intellectual merit Advances in quantum gravity theory promise to revolutionize our conceptions of space and time, perhaps doing away with them altogether. Such theories will likely have profound implications for the most basic assumptions in physics, with consequences for our understanding of the nature of the world, of theorizing and of scientific methods. Thus the philosophical study of the foundations of quantum gravity promises to revolutionize philosophy as much as Newton and Einstein's work in earlier periods. Potential Broader Impacts The workshop will serve to train graduate students and recent PhDs. They will not only have the opportunity to learn by attending the meeting, but there will be sessions designed to help them to present works-in-progress, to gain valuable experience and feedback. The workshop will also serve to build a network of scholars working on the philosophy of quantum gravity, creating opportunities for dialogue and collaboration. Finally, the proceedings of the meeting (and continuing discussions) will be disseminated via a website and blog, so that there will be open access to the more immediate results of the work.