Physics and Philosophy of the Future: the Flow of Time between Physics and Metaphysics

Europe/Rome
INFN-LNF, Aula Salvini

INFN-LNF, Aula Salvini

Gennaro Corcella (LNF), Massimo Ferrario (LNF)
Description

Aim of the meeting:

The concept of time has always been a topic of great interest and exploration in both physics and philosophy: time scans our experience of the world and is the foundation of our consciousness. We propose an afternoon to discuss the flow of time between physics and metaphysics with researchers active in both fields. In particular, from the philosophical viewpoint, we shall debate the nature of the future as well as possible time travels. Physics wise, it will be investigated the nature of time in relativity and how the quantum theory of gravity and space-time can help the understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.

Program
 
Thursday July 11
 
14:30   Samuele Iaquinto (Milan Univ.)
"On the Nature of the Future" 
 
15:15   Giuliano Torrengo  (Milan Univ.) 
"Time Travels between Physics and Philosophy"
 
16:00 - 16:30   Coffee Break 
 
16:30   Daniele Oriti  (MPI Potsdam & LMU Munich) 
"Time from Classical Relativistic Physics toward Quantum Gravity"

17:30   Discussion

 

 

                              
Registration
Physics and Philosophy of the Future
Participants
  • Achille Blasi
  • Alessandra Flora
  • Alessandro Drago
  • Alessandro Vannozzi
  • Alessio Del Dotto
  • Angelo Biagioni
  • Angelo Cei
  • Anish Ghoshal
  • Anna Guglielmotti
  • Antonella Balerna
  • Armando Vertecchi
  • Carlo Guaraldo
  • Carmelo Evoli
  • CLAUDIA LEONI
  • Claudio Cantone
  • Cristina Vaccarezza
  • Daniele Oriti
  • David Alesini
  • Davide Meloni
  • Edda Vantaggiato
  • Elisabetta Pace
  • Enrico Nardi
  • Fabio Massaioli
  • Fabio Villa
  • Fabrizio Giuseppe Bisesto
  • Francesco De Santis
  • Gennaro Corcella
  • Giuliano Torrengo
  • Giuseppe Finocchiaro
  • giuseppe mossa
  • Guido Cimino
  • jessica scifo
  • Lorenzo Magnisi
  • Luca Visinelli
  • Maria Elena Buggè
  • Massimo Alberto Franceschi
  • Massimo Ferrario
  • Matteo Castellani
  • Matteo Cesarini
  • Matteo Sorbara
  • Mauro Properzi
  • Michele Zenoni
  • Pasquale Di Nezza
  • Piero Patteri
  • Pietro Cerreoni
  • Renato Fedele
  • roberto cimino
  • Roberto Flammini
  • Samuele Iaquinto
  • Sandro nannini
  • Stefano Colonna
  • Tommaso Napolitano
  • Valentina Balzarotti
  • Valerio Pandolfi
  • Vladimir Marchetti
    • 14:30 15:15
      On the Nature of the Future 45m

      The aim of this talk is to offer a critical overview of the current philosophical debate in the
      philosophy of the future, stressing the close connections between physics and metaphysics. I will
      discuss linear and branching-time models, underlining their relations with the debate on tense
      realism, that is, the debate about whether the flow of time is a genuine feature of reality.

      Speaker: Samuele Iaquinto (Milano Univ.)
    • 15:15 16:00
      Time Travels between Physics and Philosophy 45m

      This talk is devoted to the main philosophical questions on time travel. It is usually held that the past
      cannot the changed. But what about the future? I will argue that the answer crucially depends on
      the hypothesis that reality contains a further temporal dimension, the so-called hypertime.

      Speaker: Giuliano Torrengo (Milano Univ.)
    • 16:00 16:30
      Coffee Break 30m
    • 16:30 17:30
      Time from Classical Relativistic Physics toward Quantum Gravity 1h

      I survey briefly the main lessons about the nature of physical time from (special
      and general) relativistic physics. They amount to a progressive dismissal of
      commonsensical assumptions about time and a difficult learning process about what
      are its real physical features. I then outline how the search for a quantum theory
      of gravity and spacetime is challenging, even more, our understanding of the
      spatiotemporal aspects of the world, and suggests a more radical, complete
      disappearance of time (and space) from the fundamental structure of the universe.
      The conceptual challenges of this radical disappearance of time will be
      emphasized, alongside the physical ones.

      Speaker: Daniele Oriti (Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute))
    • 17:30 18:30
      Discussion 1h