Emergence in Materials

Emergence in Materials

Emergence in Materials

May 25-27, IHPST Paris

13 rue du Four, Paris (metro stations: Mabillon or St. Germain de Pres)

The study of materials presents us with a range of phenomena, some of which are interesting also from a philosophical point of view. Many of these phenomena have been called “emergent”. They include phase transitions (Batterman 2002), superconductivity (Anderson 1972, Morrison 2012), ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism (Cox and Pines 2005), the quantum Hall states (Laughlin and Pines 2000). From a theoretical standpoint, emergent phenomena have been associated with symmetry breaking (Anderson and Stein 1988, Anderson 2004), mathematical singularities (Berry 1994, Batterman 2002), multiple realizability (Cunningham 2001, Bedau 2008), computational irreducibility (Bedau 2008, Wolfram 1985).

This workshop aims to address the topic of emergent phenomena in materials. We aim to bring together scientists and philosophers to examine the various ways in which emergent phenomena can be said to occur in materials, and to discuss what features make these phenomena emergent. This conference will be a landmark for the nascent field of philosophy of materials science. It will help shape philosophy of materials science – one of the newest branches of philosophy of science – as a truly interdisciplinary field.

The workshop will take place at the IHPST (Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology) in the center of Paris.

Tentative schedule:

Tentative schedule:

May 25th

10:00-11:00 Thomas Vogt: Towards a philosophy of materials science
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-12:15 Margaret Morrison: Turbulent Flows, Universality and Emergence
12:15-2:00 Lunch (everyone on their own)
2:00-3:00 Jean-Pierre Llored: Chemical Materials and Emergence
3:00-3:15 Coffee break
3:15-4:15 Karim Thebault: The Hawking Effect as an Emergent Phenomenon?

May 26th

10:00-11:00 Alexandre Guay & Olivier Sartenaer: Emergent quasiparticles: the case of the fractional quantum Hall effect
11:00-11:15 Coffee Break
11:15-12:15 Alex Manafu: Piezoelectricity as an Emergent Property?
12:15-2:00 Lunch at the University Restaurant
2:00-3:00 Michael Berry: The singularities of light: intensity, phase, polarization
3:00-3:15 Coffee break
3:15-4:15 Sorin Bangu: When causation is not the point: Individualism v. Collectivism on Explanation

May 27th

10:00-11:00 Shaul Katzir: Macro and microphysical explanations of piezoelectricity before WWII
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-12:15 Robert Batterman: Asymptotics, Minimal Models, Multiscale Techniques
12:15-2:00 Lunch at the University Restaurant
2:00-3:00 Olimpia Lombardi: From reduction to emergence: distinguishing between intratheory and intertheory emergence
3:00-3:15 Coffee break
3:15-4:15 Joachim Schummer: Material Emergence in Chemistry: The Standard Case