Workshop in the context of the CAS Research Focus "New Cosmology" organized by Prof. Dr. Stephan Hartmann (LMU).
This workshop investigates the nature of emergence in contemporary physics and cosmology, with a special focus on its implications for reduction, explanation, and metaphysical interpretation. Recent developments in quantum gravity, cosmology, and the foundations of quantum mechanics challenge traditional reductionist frameworks and raise the possibility that key features of our world—such as spacetime structure, cosmological dynamics, or informational architectures—may be emergent rather than fundamental. Questions about the explanatory autonomy of higher-level theories, the legitimacy of metaphysics at non-fundamental levels, and the role of abstract and purposive causation in physical and technological systems form the core of the workshop’s agenda. With George Ellis as special guest, we will explore how such issues bear on the status of effective laws, the structure of scientific theories, and the broader philosophical understanding of our universe.
Participants: George Ellis (University of Cape Town/CAS Visiting Fellow), Maria Hubert (LMU), Laurie Letertre (LMU), Christian List (LMU), Alyssa Ney (LMU), Daniele Oriti (LMU), Sébastien Rivat (LMU).