Next week, the Rotman Institute welcomes two outstanding speakers. Robert DiSalle will speak on March 2nd on Gravity, Geometry, Philosophy: 100 Years in Einstein’s Universe, and Elisabeth Lloyd will give a talk titled The Orgasm Wars, about the evolutionary puzzle of the female orgasm.
Both talks will also be live-streamed online on the pages linked below, and will soon appear on our YouTube channel. Details on both talks follows below.
Gravity, Geometry, Philosophy:
100 Years in Einstein’s Universe
Robert DiSalle
Western University
Monday, March 2, 2015
7pm EST
Central Library, Wolf Performance Hall
251, Dundas Street, London, Ontario
One hundred years ago, in November 1915, Albert Einstein achieved his long-sought theory of gravitation: the General Theory of Relativity. In developing the General Theory, Einstein brought together ideas from philosophy, mathematics, and physics, to create a remarkable new conception of gravity, space, and time. His work is a model of the engagement between philosophy and science that is the main mission of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy. To celebrate the achievements of the 20th century’s greatest philosopher-scientist, the Rotman Institute is pleased to announce Einstein@Rotman 2015 – a year-long program of activities for both scholars and the general public, centred around the stunning successes and enduring mysteries of Einstein’s ideas. In this inaugural lecture, you will learn how Einstein’s philosophical reflections on space, time, and gravity transformed our view of the nature and structure of the cosmos.
Elisabeth Lloyd
Indiana University, Bloomington
Friday, March 6, 2015
3:30-5pm EST
Western Universty, Chu International Centre
2N05 International and Graduate Affairs Building
There has been a fierce battle occurring among scientists who explain the evolution of human female orgasm, about its evolutionary origins and nature. The core issue is that the female orgasm presents an evolutionary puzzle. Unlike the male orgasm, female orgasm is not associated with any increase in fertility or reproductive success. Several types of theories have been offered for the evolution of the trait, but Lloyd will show that only one of them has very much evidence supporting it, while the others are flawed by conflicts with the evidence. Dr. Lloyd will also give a second, more technical talk, on Robustness as a Confirmatory Virtue in Climate Science.
