The Philosophy Of Howard Stein
9-11 June 2017
Franke Institute for the Humanities, University of Chicago
It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the publication of Howard
Stein’s paper “Newtonian Space-Time” in 1967 inaugurated the modern study
of the foundations of physics. Thereafter, Stein’s work continued to set
the standard in the philosophical community and beyond for the study of
theories of spacetime structure (Newtonian and relativistic), the
conceptual structure of quantum mechanics, the methodology of science in
general and the character of scientific knowledge, and the history of
physics and mathematics. This three-day conference will celebrate the 50th
anniversary of Stein’s landmark paper by providing an opportunity to
reflect on Stein’s lasting influence for those working on a wide range of
topics of vital interest to historians and philosophers of science. While
speakers include Stein’s former colleagues, past students and friends, our
focus is on his continuing influence on contemporary work, and we aim to
demonstrate the relevance of Stein’s work for the next fifty years of our
discipline.
Further information, including details of speakers, venue, and (eventually)
schedule, may be found at the conference website, at
https://voices.uchicago.edu/stein2017/. There is no fee to attend the conference but advance registration is requested, via a form linked to at the conference website. If you have questions about the conference you may email Jim Weatherall at jim.weatherall at gmail.com or Tom Pashby at pashby at uchicago.edu.
The conference organizing committee is composed of Erik Curiel (LMU
Munich), Kevin Davey (Chicago), Thomas Pashby (Chicago), Karim Thébault
(Bristol) and James Weatherall (UCI).
