In celebration of the centenary of Einstein’s publication of general relativity, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy celebrated Einstein@Rotman -- a year-long program of events, including an academic conference, a successful series of public lectures, and finally, an interactive exhibit for both scholars and the general public; Einstein – Philosopher | Scientist: 100 Years of General [...]
Video of Wayne Myrvold's lecture, Einstein and the Atom, has been posted on the Rotman Institute of Philosophy YouTube channel. Abstract: Einstein’s name is widely associated with the “atom bomb,” via the formula E = MC2. Less widely known is that he played a key role in providing evidence that atoms exist at all. One [...]
Video of Doreen Fraser’s lecture, Einstein, God, Dice, and Quantum Mechanics, has been posted on the Rotman Institute of Philosophy YouTube channel. Abstract: Einstein is best known for his contributions to the physics of spacetime, the Special and General Theories of Relativity. However, he also played an important role in the development of quantum mechanics, [...]
Video of Stathis Psillos’s lecture, Engaging Philosophy: Einstein on the Method of Science, has been posted on the Rotman Institute of Philosophy YouTube channel. Albert Einstein said that scientists are poor philosophers. Yet, he added that especially in periods of scientific revolutions, scientists should engage in philosophy and should not “surrender to philosophers the critical [...]
Video of Chris Smeenk's lecture, Einstein’s Path to a New Theory, has been posted on the Rotman Institute of Philosophy YouTube channel. In November 1915, Einstein published a new theory of gravity. This lecture recounts the “rough and winding road” Einstein took in developing his theory, which ended with a dramatic race to the finish. [...]
by Lucas Dunlap Einstein has become such a cultural touchstone that the internet is full of dubiously sourced quotations attributed to him. One of the most famous usually appears as “I refuse to believe that God plays dice with the universe”, or more simply “God doesn’t play dice”. This appears to be a paraphrase of [...]
by Craig Fox A popular picture of scientific revolutions, such as Einstein’s overthrow of Newtonian physics, paints them as involving something like a gestalt shift; they involve a sudden reorientation of the perspective through which we see the world. The perspective through which scientists see the world is a more or less loose set of [...]
Remaining videos from the The Gravity and Geometry: Centenary Perspectives on General Relativity conference have been posted to the Rotman YouTube channel. The following videos are now included in the playlist: Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute The Identity of the Indiscernible as a Physical Principle [embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyBxRonlmvo[/embedyt] Marco Giovanelli, Einstein Papers Project "What is truth?" Einstein on [...]
The Gravity and Geometry: Centenary Perspectives on General Relativity conference was held this past June, here at Western. Participants presented physical, philosophical, and historical reflections on Einstein’s theory of gravity and space-time geometry, its development over the past century, and its future prospects. Invited speakers at the conference included John Norton, Kaća Bradonjić, and Carla [...]
This is a reminder about the public talk about Einstein at the Wolf Performance Hall this evening at 7pm. The talk will also be live-streamed online on the pages linked below, and will soon appear on our YouTube channel. Details on the talk follows below. Gravity, Geometry, and Philosophy: 100 Years in Einstein's Universe - [...]
