Philosophy of Physics Conference
Hosted by Society for Philosophy of Science (SPS)
Friday, Oct 9 from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday, Oct 10 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Society for Philosophy of Science (SPS) is excited to announce the first Physicist and Philosopher Conference at The Ohio State University. The aim of the conference is to foster a dialogue between physicists and philosophers of physics. The conference theme is "Metaphysical Assumptions Underlying Interpretations of Quantum Theory."
Eminent thinkers in the field have confirmed participation as speakers and panelists. These include:
Physicists
- Samir Mathur, OSU Physics — "What part of quantum mechanics is still open to debate?"
- Brian Skinner, OSU Physics — "Quantum Fields as Reductionist, as Emergent, and as Descriptive rather than Explanatory"
- Gregory Lafyatis, OSU Physics — "What David Mermin believes about quantum wave functions"
Philosophers of Physics
- Laura Ruetsche, University of Michigan — "Unborn" (On Quantum Probabilities)
- Nick Huggett, University of Illinois Chicago — "Decoherence, Branching, and Locality: A Single Worlder's Guide to Many Worlds"
- Wayne Myrvold, University of Western Ontario — "Sir Isaac Newton on Quantum Ontology"
- Jacob Barandes, Harvard University — "The Persistence of Memory and Why It Matters for Quantum Theory"
- Bixin Guo, Macalester College — "Next Best Thing: What Can Quantum Mechanics Tell Us About the Fundamental Ontology of the World?"
Panel Discussions — Saturday, October 10
- The Many Worlds Interpretation — Chair: Prof. Ben Schumacher
- Non-Locality — Chair: Prof. Chris Pincock
Event Details
- Location: Ohio Union, Great Hall Meeting Room #1
- Dates & Times: Friday, October 9, 2026 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Though the event is free to attend, registration is necessary (i) because space is limited, and (ii) for reporting purposes to the funding body. Please register NO LATER THAN 15 Sep 2026! Thank you!
