FraMEPhys/Gothenburg Conference on Metaphysical Explanation in Science

The FraMEPhys project at the University of Birmingham and the Metaphysical Explanation project at the University of Gothenburg are hosting a two-day conference on Metaphysical Explanation in Science, 10-11 January 2019 at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham.

FraMEPhys  – A Framework for Metaphysical Explanation in Physics – is a five year research project developing a new account of the contribution of metaphysics to how physics explains our world. 

Registration

The conference is free to attend. Please register via the conference Eventbrite registration webpage.

Speakers

• Sam Baron (University of Western Australia)
• Silvia Bianchi (IUSS, Pavia)
• Amanda Bryant (Trent University)
• Roberto Fumagalli (King's College London)
• David Kovacs (Tel Aviv University)
• Atoosa Kasirzadeh (University of Toronto)
• Stephan Leuenberger (University of Glasgow)
• Juha Saatsi (University of Leeds)
• Michael Strevens (New York University)
• Elanor Taylor (Johns Hopkins University)

Commentators

• Adam Bales (University of Cambridge)
• Andrew Brenner (University of Gothenburg)
• Joaquim Giannotti (University of Glasgow)
• Martin Glazier (University of Hamburg)
• Ashton Green (University of Notre Dame)
• Samuel Kimpton-Nye (King’s College London)
• Anna-Sofia Maurin (University of Gothenburg)
• Robin Stenwall (Lund University)
• Naomi Thompson (University of Southampton/University of Gothenburg)

Schedule

Thursday 10 January 2019

• 09:10 - Coffee and pastries
• 09:30 - Elanor Taylor (Johns Hopkins), "Backing without Realism". Comments: Naomi Thompson (Southampton/Gothenburg)
• 10:45 - Coffee
• 11:00 - Juha Saatsi (Leeds), "Which explanations in science are “metaphysical” (and why)?". Comments: Robin Stenwall (Lund)
• 12:15 - Lunch
• 13:30 - Silvia Bianchi (Pavia), "Metaphysical Grounding as a Non-foundationalist Explanation of Quantum Entanglement: on the Plausibility of Weak Structuralism and Thin Objects". Comments: Joaquim Giannotti (Glasgow)
• 14:45 - Break
• 14:55 - Roberto Fumagalli (King's College London), "How Thin Rational Choice Theory Explains Choices". Comments: Adam Bales (Cambridge)
• 16:10 - Tea
• 16:30 - Michael Strevens (NYU), "Necessity in Scientific Explanation"
• 17:45 - Finish
• 18:45 - Dinner

Friday 11 January 2019

• 09:10 - Coffee and pastries
• 09:30 - Stephan Leuenberger (Glasgow), "Merely partial metaphysical explanation". Comments: Anna-Sofia Maurin (Gothenburg)
• 10:45 - Coffee
• 11:00 - Amanda Bryant (Trent), "Toward a Scientifically Responsible Metaphysics of Ground". Comments: Ashton Green (Notre Dame)
• 12:15 - Lunch
• 13:30 - David Kovacs (Tel Aviv), "The Problem of Meta-Causation". Comments: Andrew Brenner (Gothenburg)
• 14:45 - Break
• 14:55 - Atoosa Kasirzadeh (Toronto), "Can Mathematics Really Make a Difference?" Comments: Samuel Kimpton-Nye (King's College London)
• 16:10 - Tea
• 16:30 - Samuel Baron (Western Australia), "Counterfactual Scheming". Comments: Martin Glazier (Hamburg).
• 17:45 – Finish

Project information

FraMEPhys (A Framework for Metaphysical Explanation in Science) is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 757295). For further information, please visit the FraMEPhys project website.

The Metaphysical Explanation project is supported by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. For further information, please visit the Metaphysical Explanation project website.