FIS and ICPI Track
Approaches of physics versus those of philosophy of science
Moderators
Joseph Brenner, Vice-President for Transdisciplinarity, ISIS
Gyorgy Darvas, Symmetrion; International Symmetry Association
Objectives
The main goal of this session aims at identifying the nature of physical information.
Subjects and scope
What do we consider physical information? Can one speak about physical information when there is no live percipient to accept, evaluate and use it, and if the “thing” – let we call it anyway – is no part of a process? What does, e.g., a signal represent if it is not perceived and used at another end, and where is that end when one can say: that signal was lost without perception or use? What are the limits (if there is any absolute one) between closed and open systems, from the aspects of information and of symmetries? Can one speak about physical information (e.g., signal exchange) between inanimate physical objects (cf., e.g., Feynman diagrams)? And if so, what is it for? Is (physical) information a passive phenomenon, or its existence presumes activity? Further, if so, how wide can we extend the meaning of activity to be still accepted for generating information? What are the roles of different appearances of symmetries in taking a stand in the mentioned questions? What kinds of symmetry (e.g., reflexivity, circulation, thermodynamic temporal asymmetry, gauge invariant phenomena, scale invariance, Lorentz invariance, etc., or their absence) may play a role in making decision in the listed problems?
Target groups
This session is based on a recent discussion in the FIS-list, and is co-organised by ISIS, the Symmetrion and the International Symmetry Association.
This session is also regarded as track within the ICPI Stream.
Important Dates
Submission deadline: 27 February 2015
Notification of acceptance: 20 March 2015
