If you are watching the livestream, you can direct questions for the speaker to our gmail account – beyondspacetimeseminar. 

UPDATE: Here are the slides for the talk: http://bit.ly/1KEHxN8

On Wednesday, Daniele Oriti (Albert Einstein Institute, Golm) will speak on If space and time are emergent (in quantum gravity), what is cosmology? at Geneva. The clocks in Switzerland have gone forward for the winter, so check your local time (16.15 local time in Geneva). In Chicago, we will be video conferencing the talk at 10.15. We also hope to livestream on our YouTube channel. As always, full information at beyondspacetime.net.

A couple of items about forthcoming and past talks:

First, the YouTube livestream of Dave Baker’s talk worked well, and was followed by a number of people — we hope to repeat it for all talks (though we don’t have the capacity to troubleshoot I’m afraid — except you can let me know if you want me to point the camera at the speaker!). A decent video of the talk (including Dave himself) is now available on our YouTube channel.

Second, we have three speakers in the next four weeks: Michael Esfeld on October 21, Daniele Oriti on October 28, and Kerry McKenzie on November 11. Please find details here (or in the project tab above). Hope you can make it, in person or online!

We will attempt an experimental livestream of tomorrow’s talk at UIC (Dave Baker, 9.15am CST). Just go to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_VhTJBl6Mpmfjj5q832rjg and then find the livestream under the tiny “All Activities” button above the list of videos (ignore the test stream).

This experiment comes with no warranties, and definitely no technical support (if you have something to say to help us, please let us know after the talk!). Apologies for any frustration you encounter.

If it works, then if you email questions for the speaker to our gmail (beyondspacetimeseminar), I will try to ask them of the speaker.

Hope you can make it. Look under the project tab above for more information on the talk itself.

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.)

Wednesday October 7th 2015 at Geneva – Vincent Lam (Lausanne) (and Christian Wüthrich, Geneva): Functional emergence of spacetime in quantum gravity

Abstract: “Relativistic spacetime, according to many quantum theories of gravity, does not exist, fundamentally. This threatens the very possibility of the empirical confirmation of these theories. Their empirical coherence can be restored by securing the emergence of spacetime from the fundamental non-spatio- temporal structures. Establishing this emergence requires not just mathematical limits and approximations, but also a successful argument that these technical procedures result in appropriately local `beables’. We show in the context of two programs in quantum gravity—loop quantum gravity and causal set theory—that a recovery of the merely functionally relevant features of spacetime suffices to this end.”

Note that Dave Baker (Michigan) will be speaking at UIC the next day. Details follow.

The first speakers to the project are now arranged. You are welcome to attend in person (9am in room 1430 of University Hall), and we also hope to livestream talks on Our YouTube channel (which should allow viewers to submit questions); video will also be made available soon after the event. Our YouTube channel is at: http://www.youtube.com/c/BeyondspacetimeNet

Watch for announcements of talks at Geneva — and find information about all talks on the project page linked above.

Thursday October 8th 2015 at UIC — David Baker (Michigan)
Wednesday November 11th 2015 at UIC — Kerry McKenzie (UC San Diego)

We invite interested scholars for short visits to the Spacetime After Quantum Gravity research group, located in the philosophy departments at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Geneva. To facilitate visits we can offer financial assistance for travel and lodging, office facilities, and of course excellent intellectual company. Visits can be from a few days to a few weeks (or possibly longer).

We hope to have range of visitors: faculty and graduate students; general philosophers, philosophers of physics, and physicists; those sharing their expertise, and those learning about the philosophy of quantum gravity and the work of our group and speakers. Visitors will help us inform the philosophical and physics communities about philosophical issues in quantum gravity; and they will help us learn more about these philosophical dimensions though our interactions. While visitors will be credentialed philosophers or physicists, in some cases a credible interest in professional engagement with the group will be more important than prior work in quantum gravity.

In the first instance, potential visitors are requested to send a brief (one page) letter of interest, explaining their current academic status, research focus, and interest in our project. Please also explain any special activities you would like to undertake with the group, date(s) you would like to visit, and estimated cost of a flight. We will request further information as needed, and discuss times and budgets (up to $600, with the possibility of more for longer visits, depending on demand) with successful applicants.

The period of the project is September 1st 2015-August 31st 2018. There is no deadline for requests; we have an annual budget, and will support visitors each year until that year’s budget is exhausted. We especially encourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities.

Send letters of interest to beyondspacetimeseminar@gmail.com. And please share the invitation.

Nick Huggett, UIC

Christian Wüthrich, Geneva

Website: beyondspacetime.net

We are very happy to announce that our first hire to the Space and Time After Quantum Gravity project is Keizo Matsubara, currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rotman Institute of Western University: http://www.rotman.uwo.ca/members/keizo-matsubara/. He will be joining the philosophy department at UIC as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in September. Welcome on board!