Logic and Philosophy of Science Group Talk (Nina Emery, Mount Holyoke)

The Logic and Philosophy of Science Group is pleased to welcome guest speaker Nina Emery, an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Emery’s research focuses on the intersection of metaphysics and the philosophy of physics. She has a particular interest in the question of how and to what extent our best scientific theories, especially quantum mechanics and relativity theory, should inform our understanding of time, probability, and the laws of nature. She also works on the question of how and to what extent standard scientific practice relies on appeals to extra-empirical theoretical virtues such as simplicity and explanatory power. Her other interests include the philosophy of language, the philosophy of religion, epistemology, and applied ethics.

Join Zoom meeting:

https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/89147592627

Talk Title

The Governing Conception of the Wavefunction

Talk Abstract

The central question of quantum ontology is: What does the wavefunction represent? In this paper I argue that the wavefunction plays two important explanatory roles with respect to the behavior of quantum systems, and that this fact places significant constraints on any plausible account of what the wavefunction represents. NB: This talk will be non-technical, and no prior experience with quantum physics is required.

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.