Workshop: Spacetime Functionalism

We invite participants to attend a Workshop on Spacetime Functionalism, University of Geneva, March 1-2.

The aim of the workshop is to investigate how a functionalist approach may provide the relevant conceptual tools for understanding the nature of spacetime as described by fundamental physics. In particular, the idea is to explore spacetime functionalism in the context of quantum gravity, where it is suggested that spacetime is not fundamental, and the issue of emergence arises. We would like to discuss the analogy here with other forms of functionalism in philosophy—in particular in metaphysics and philosophy of mind.

Speakers:

David Albert (Columbia)
Carlos Barcelo (Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics)
Michael Esfeld (Lausanne)
Rasmus Jaksland (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Eleanor Knox (King’s College London)
Vincent Lam (Geneva)
Baptiste Le Bihan (Geneva)
Joanna Luc (Jagiellonian)
Tushar Menon (Oxford)
James Read (Oxford)

Full program and practical information may be found at https://spacetimefunctionalism.wordpress.com/

The workshop is funded by the CUSO and the University of Geneva (Département de philosophie, Faculté des lettres, Commission administrative).

CUSO members please register here: https://www.cuso.ch/activity/?p=863&uid=3940

Please contact the organisers with any questions: karen.crowther@unige.ch and niels.linnemann@unige.ch

Karen Crowther
Niels Linnemann
Christian Wüthrich

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