Symposium on Time and Relativity
This three day symposium, held from October 25 to 27, 2007 and organized by Professor Michel Janssen (History of Science, Technology and Medicine) and Professor Antigone Nounou (Philosophy), addressed issues raised by Harvey R Brown's Physical Relativity. Space-Time Structure from a Dynamical Perspective (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), co-winner of the 2006 Lakatos Award, awarded annually by the London School of Economics and Political Science for outstanding contributions to the philosophy of science. Cosponsored by the Department of Philosophy, the Program in the History of Science and Technology and the Center for Philosophy of Science.
Select presentations from the symposium can now be viewed here.
Katherine Brading (Notre Dame), "What’s in a theory? Hilbert and the “Harvey Brown pedagogy”"
Don Howard (Notre Dame), "Einstein on the Principle Theories/Constructive Theories Distinction"
Michel Janssen (Minnesota), "Drawing the line between kinematics and dynamics in special relativity"
Oliver Pooley (Oxford) and Michel Janssen (Minnesota), "‘What Einstein did to time,’ Debate on the foundations of relativistic space-time"
The complete schedule for the symposium, complete with abstracts and biographies, remains below.
Thursday, October 25
4:00–5:30 pm: Thurdays at Four series: What Einstein Did to Time Oliver Pooley, Philosophy, University of Oxford Michel Janssen, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine University of Minnesota.
5:30–7:30 pm: Welcoming dinner
7:30–8:30 pm: Public lecture: "Kinematics versus dynamics: putting Einstein's 1905 relativity paper in historical context"
Friday, October 26
9:30–10:15 am: Continental Breakfast
10:15–10:30 am: Introduction : Ann Waltner (IAS, Minnesota)
10:30 am–1:00 pm: Session 1: Kinematics vs. dynamics in special relativity, Chair: Clayton Gearhart (St. Johns)
10:30–11:10 am: Michel Janssen (Minnesota), "Drawing the line between kinematics and dynamics in special relativity"
11:10–11:50 am: Oliver Pooley (Oxford), "A Glorious Non-Entity... Revisited"
11:50 am–12:10 pm: Coffee
12:10–12:20 pm: Harvey Brown (Oxford/Perimeter), commentator
12:20–1:00 pm: Discussion
1:00–3:00 pm Lunch break
3:00–3:30 pm Coffee
3:30–6:00 pm: Session 2: Principle theories vs. constructive theories, Chair: Antigone Nounou (Minnesota)
3:30–4:10 pm:
Amit Hagar (Indiana), "Length Matters: The Einstein-Swann Correspondence and the Constructive Approach to Special Relativity"
4:10–4:50 pm: Don Howard (Notre Dame), "Einstein on the Principle Theories/Constructive Theories Distinction"
4:50–5:10 pm: Coffee
5:10–5:20 pm: Chris Smeenk (Western Ontario), commentator
5:20–6:00 pm: Discussion
Saturday, October 27
9:00–10:00 am Continental Breakfast
10:00 am–12:30 pm Session 3: Clocks in relativity, Chair: Roger Stuewer (Minnesota)
10:00–10:40 am: Robert Rynasiewicz (Johns Hopkins), "Simultaneity, Convention, Reference and Dynamics"
10:40–11:20 am: Richard Arthur (McMaster University), "Time, Inertia and the Relativity Principle"
11:20–11:40 am: Coffee
11:40–11:50 am: Carl Hoefer (Barcelona), commentator
11:50 am–12:30 pm: Discussion
12:30–2:00 pm: Lunch
2:00–4:30 pm: Session 4: The principle/constructive and kinematics/dynamics distinctions in quantum field theory, Chair: Michel Janssen (Minnesota)
2:00–2:40 pm: Antigone Nounou (Minnesota), "The Principle/Constructive Theory distinction in Quantum Field Theories"
2:40–3:20 pm: Katherine Brading (Notre Dame), "What's in a theory? Hilbert and the "Harvey Brown pedagogy""
3:20–3:40 pm: Coffee
3:40–3:50 pm : John Norton (Pittsburgh), commentator
3:50–4:30 pm: Discussion
4:30–5:30 pm: General Discussion
5:30–6:30 pm: Free time
6:30–9:30 pm: Cocktails and farewell dinner
Participants in addition to speakers, commentators, and chair persons: Lee Gohlike (Outing Lodge/Seven Pines), Geoffrey Hellman (Minnesota), Ernan McMullin (Notre Dame), Serge Rudaz (Minnesota), Alan Shapiro (Minnesota) and Brian Woodcock (Carleton).