10 March 2023
Physics meets philosophy: Dialogues on the nature of our world
Physics and philosophy have been closely intertwined ever since humans began observing the nature of the universe. While physics seeks to understand the fundamental laws and forces that govern our universe from the smallest to the largest scale, philosophy seeks to understand the fundamental nature of reality and our place within it. The two disciplines are deeply connected, and have influenced each other throughout history.
The "Dialogues on the Foundations", hosted by Dr. Daniele Oriti, is a series of meetings between physicists and philosophers working on the foundations of physics, where they explore various topics, such as quantum gravity, cosmology, foundations of quantum mechanics, or philosophy of physics.
The series aims to show how physicists and philosophers are re-assessing and re-shaping the fundamental bases of our understanding of the natural world. And they do this through the same type of activity they usually engage in: chatting, discussing, asking questions, suggesting answers, identifying critical points, expressing openly what is known and what is still puzzling or mysterious, sharing hopes and excitement, doubts and confusions.
Dialogues on the Foundations kicks-off with a discussion with Prof. Jeremy Butterfield, philosopher at the University of Cambridge, whose work focuses on philosophical aspects of quantum theory, relativity theory, and classical mechanics. The chat explores the relation between fundamental physics and philosophy, what it takes to explore the foundations of our understanding of the universe, and a philosopher's view on quantum gravity, dualities, and much more.
The dialogues are part of the CAS Research Focus "Foundations of Physics" at the Center for Advanced Studies (CAS) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and are supported by the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology. They are hosted by Dr. Daniele Oriti, speaker of the CAS Research Focus, director of the research group "Quantum Gravity and Foundations of Physics" at the Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics at LMU München and MCQST member, working in the explorative directions research unit. Daniele is a theoretical physicist, working on quantum gravity, gravitational physics, and fundamental cosmology; wider research activities in philosophy of science and foundations of physical theories, in particular foundations of quantum mechanics and philosophy of space-time theories.
Follow the explorative and engaging discussions on the MCQST YouTube channel.