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Logic and Philosophy of Science Group Talk (Emily Adlam, Western)

Thursday October 13, 2022, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Head shot of Emily Adlam on a lawn

The Logic and Philosophy of Science Group is pleased to welcome guest speaker Emily Adlam, a postdoctoral associate at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University. Dr. Adlam works on the foundations of quantum mechanics and related issues in the philosophy of physics. At the moment, her particular interest is in approaches to physics that go beyond the time evolution paradigm, encompassing a range of possibilities like temporal non-locality, retrocausality, and all-at-once laws.

Talk Title

Operational Theories as Structural Realism

Talk Abstract

In this talk I will introduce the operational theories approach to research in quantum foundations and undertake a reconstruction of the epistemic significance of this research. I argue that the space of operational theories is analogous to the space of possible worlds employed in the possible world semantics for modal logic, so research of this sort can be understood as probing modal structure. Thus I will argue that operational axiomatisations of quantum mechanics may be interpreted as a novel form of structural realism; I discuss the consequences of this interpretation for the philosophy of structural realism and the future of operational theories.

About the Logic and Philosophy of Science Group

One of six departmental Research Interest Groups, the Logic and Philosophy of Science Group hosts talks on logic, general philosophy of science, and philosophy of the particular sciences, as well as talks in allied areas such as formal epistemology, decision theory, and the metaphysics of science.

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Details

Date:
Thursday October 13, 2022
Time:
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Venue

Jackman Humanities Building, Room 418
170 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2M8 Canada
Phone
416-978-3311

Organizer

Logic and Philosophy of Science Group
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