Seminario del Mind, Experience, Language, and Time (MELT) 2022-2023

Sam Baron (ACU)

Causation and spacetime

September 23, 2022, h. 15:00-17:00.

Room Piero Martinetti, Department of Philosophy, Icehouse Courtyard, first floor, Via Festa del Perdono, 7, Milan.

Abstract
In the mid 20th century, a group of theorems showed that much of the metric structure of general relativity could be recovered from causal structure. This led a number of philosophers to defend a causal theory of spacetime, in which spatiotemporal relations were reduced to causal relations. The causal theory met with fierce opposition by the likes of Earman and Smart, and was largely abandoned within philosophy. In physics, however, the story is different: the theorems that motivated the causal theory of spacetime were developed into an approach to quantum gravity. Philosophy, it seems, abandoned the causal theory of spacetime too early. In this talk, I will thus return to the causal theory of spacetime and show that there is at least one version of the view that endures philosophical scrutiny.

The meeting will be held in English.

Participation is strongly recommended to students of the Doctoral School in Philosophy and Human Sciences and to students of the Doctoral School “The Human Mind and its Explanations: Language, Brain, and Reasoning”.

Everyone interested is welcome to attend.