TF-GPPG-colloquium with Klaas Landsman
| When: | We 05-02-2025 15:15 - 17:00 |
| Where: | Room Omega, Faculty of Philosophy |
The Groningen Philosophy of Physics Group and the Department of Theoretical Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy jointly host a guest talk on
"Philosophy of Mathematical Physics from A to B" by Klaas Landsman
from the Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy and the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics, and Particle Physics at Radboud University, happening on Wednesday 5 February, 15.00-17.00, at the Faculty of Philosophy in Groningen, Oude Boteringestraat 52, room Omega.
The talk will be accessible for a broad and philosophically oriented audience and will not require mathematical background knowledge. All are cordially invited!
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Klaas Landsman, professor of mathematical physics at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, is a renowned theoretical physicist and philosopher, celebrated for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of quantum mechanics, mathematics, and existential questions. Recipient of the prestigious Spinoza Prize in 2022, he is also the author of influential works like Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Naar Alle ONwaarschijnlijkheid. Landsman makes complex scientific ideas accessible, offering highly original insights into the connections between science, philosophy, and the mysteries of existence. Don’t miss his lecture on the important yet neglected question of why mathematics is so widely applicable!
ABOUT THE TALK
Title: Philosophy of Mathematical Physics from A to B
Abstract: As noted by Mark Steiner, 'To an unappreciated degree, the history of Western Philosophy is the history of attempts to understand why Mathematics is applicable to Nature, despite apparently good reasons to believe that it should not be.’ I survey these attempts and sharpen the topic to mathematical physics, which discipline I will try to define and about which no knowledge is presumed. This will take us from Aristotle to Brandom, involving the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of science, and even the philosophy of language, which have to be tuned towards each other in order to succeed.