Tag Archives: Hermann Minkowski

2nd CfP: Fifth International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime, Albena, Bulgaria

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To mark the 110th anniversary of Hermann Minkowski’s groundbreaking lecture “Space and Time” the main theme of the Fifth International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime will be the nature of spacetime – whether spacetime should be regarded as an abstract mathematical notion modelling an evolving present or spacetime represents a block universe or a growing block universe?

Physicists are especially encouraged to attend because even relativists hold widely different views, e.g., that

(i) spacetime is nothing more than a mathematical continuum (which is essentially Poincaré’s view that prevented him from discovering the spacetime structure of the world and from developing the mathematical formalism of spacetime physics)

(ii) the question of the reality of spacetime belongs to philosophy (which is hardly physics at its best because the question of the dimensionality of the world can be answered only by physics).

Despite that the focus of the fifth spacetime conference will be on the main theme, the Scientific Organizing Committee invites papers from physicists and philosophers on any topics related to the nature and ontology of spacetime.

In addition to talks and poster sessions, special coffee hours will be included in the program to stimulate more informal discussions among the participants. For this reason we encourage interested colleagues to attend the conference even if they do not plan to give a talk or present a poster.

Contributed papers in the form of extended abstracts of between one and two pages should be emailed by Wednesday, February 28, 2018 to 2018conference[AT]minkowskiinstitute.org. Submissions will be reviewed and notification of acceptance will be given by Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

The location of the conference has been specifically chosen to combine a research meeting and a vacation (at affordable price).

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Dennis Dieks (Utrecht University)
Mauro Dorato (University of Rome Three)
George F. R. Ellis (University of Cape Town)
Robert Geroch (University of Chicago)
Eleanor Knox (King’s College London)
Vesselin Petkov (Minkowski Institute, Montreal)
Steven Savitt (University of British Columbia)
Anguel Stefanov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences)
James Owen Weatherall (University of California, Irvine)
Christian Wuethrich (University of Geneva)

First Hermann Minkowski Meeting on the Foundations of Spacetime Physics, Varna, Bulgaria

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To mark the 110th anniversary of Hermann Minkowski’s two lectures in 1907, which presented the novel ideas and the mathematical formalism of the four-dimensional physics of spacetime (summarized in Minkowski’s famous lecture Space and Time a year later), the Minkowski Institute initiates a biennial series of meetings – Hermann Minkowski Meetings on the Foundations of Spacetime Physics.

These meetings bring together experts on the foundations of spacetime physics as well as beginners in the field. In addition to technical papers on areas related to Minkowski’s contributions to the foundations of spacetime physics and on modern ramifications of his ideas, contributions on closely related topics will be also welcome – for example, on the history behind the discovery of the spacetime structure of the world and on conceptual issues.

In addition to talks and poster sessions, special tea / coffee hours will be included in the program to stimulate more informal discussions among the participants. For this reason we encourage interested colleagues to attend the meeting even if they do not plan to give a talk or present a poster.

Deadline extended: Contributed papers in the form of extended abstracts of up to two pages (but not less than one page) should be emailed by Tuesday, February 28, 2017 to minkowski2017[AT]minkowskiinstitute.org. Submissions will be reviewed and notification of acceptance will be sent by Friday, March 24, 2017 (colleagues who submitted their abstracts before the initial deadline – January 31, 2017 – will be notified earlier). Submissions after the extended deadline may be considered if slots for talks are still available.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Abhay Ashtekar (Penn State University)
Dennis Dieks (Utrecht University)
Valeria Ferrari (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
David Garfinkle (Okland University)
Robert Geroch (University of Chicago)
James Isenberg (University of Oregon)
Claus Kiefer (University of Cologne)
Vesselin Petkov (Minkowski Institute)
Carlo Rovelli (Centre de Physique Theorique de Luminy)
Mairi Sakellariadou (King’s College London, University of London)
James Owen Weatherall (University of California, Irvine)
Nick Woodhouse (University of Oxford, Clay Mathematics Institute)
Christian Wuethrich (University of Geneva)

First Hermann Minkowski Meeting on the Foundations of Spacetime Physics, Varna, Bulgaria

Posted on by

To mark the 110th anniversary of Hermann Minkowski’s two lectures in 1907, which presented the novel ideas and the mathematical formalism of the four-dimensional physics of spacetime (summarized in Minkowski’s famous lecture Space and Time a year later), the Minkowski Institute initiates a biennial series of meetings – Hermann Minkowski Meetings on the Foundations of Spacetime Physics.

These meetings bring together experts on the foundations of spacetime physics as well as beginners in the field. In addition to technical papers on areas related to Minkowski’s contributions to the foundations of spacetime physics and on modern ramifications of his ideas, contributions on closely related topics will be also welcome – for example, on the history behind the discovery of the spacetime structure of the world and on conceptual issues.

Contributed papers in the form of extended abstracts of up to two pages (but not less than one page) should be emailed by Tuesday, January 31, 2017 to minkowski2017[AT]minkowskiinstitute.org. Submissions will be reviewed and notification of acceptance will be given by Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

Scientific Organizing Committee:

Abhay Ashtekar (Penn State University)
Dennis Dieks (Utrecht University)
Valeria Ferrari (University of Rome “La Sapienza”)
David Garfinkle (Okland University)
Robert Geroch (University of Chicago)
James Isenberg (University of Oregon)
Claus Kiefer (University of Cologne)
Vesselin Petkov (Minkowski Institute)
Carlo Rovelli (Centre de Physique Theorique de Luminy)
Mairi Sakellariadou (King’s College London, University of London)
James Owen Weatherall (University of California, Irvine)
Nick Woodhouse (University of Oxford, Clay Mathematics Institute)
Christian Wüthrich (University of Geneva)