Thursday October 8th 2015 at UIC — David Baker (Michigan): Does String Theory Posit Extended Simples?

Abstract: “It is sometimes claimed that string theory posits a fundamental ontology including extended mereological simples, either in the form of minimum-sized regions of space or of the strings themselves.  But there is very little in the actual theory to support this claim, and much that suggests it is false.  Extant string theories treat space as a continuum, and strings do not behave like simples.”

(And remember, you can participate in the talk by live video conference in the philosophy department in Geneva — and perhaps by YouTube stream, if we organize it in time. At any rate, the talk should be available to watch a few days after the event.)