University of Oxford
Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3PU
UK
Since antiquity there has been a fascination with the notions of space and time with Aristotle’s philosophy remaining dominant until the advent of the heliocentric Copernican system of the Solar System marked the first steps of modern rational science in its understanding of these concepts. This culminated in the Newtonian theory of familiar three-dimensional space and absolute time. However, the absence of a supposed ether, as established by Michelson and Morley, ushered in the Special Theory of Relativity and the entwined relationship between space and time, whilst Einstein’s General Theory revealed a more complicated geometry of the two through curved spacetime. This conference will trace our understanding of space and time across the ages up to the latest knowledge of spacetime and the expanding Universe.
Registration to attend this conference is free, but must be confirmed using the Conference booking form by midday on Friday 1st June 2018.
Confirmed speakers include:
Dr Inna Kupreeva (University of Edinburgh) – Conceptualising Space: Place, Location and Dimensions in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Dr Vincenzo De Risi (Université Paris-Diderot – CNRS) – From Substance to Function: the Structure of Space in Leibniz and Newton
Dr Ioannis Votsis (New College of the Humanities, London) – Taking Up Space: The Case of the Ether
Dr Maria Rodriguez (Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam-Golm) – Welt: The Concept that Changed Physics
Professor John Barrow (University of Cambridge) – Bending Space and Time