Time is probably one of the most mysterious ingredients of the universe. On the one hand, time is unique and elusive. On the other, it seems to be an intrinsic, familiar part of our lives and world. It is then no surprise that philosophers and scientists have found in the nature of time a fertile terrain for philosophical and scientific inquiry. However, the more we dig into the nature of time, the more mysteries emerge. It is plain that time seems to pass by, but how? What does it mean that time ‘passes by’? What is the physics behind the seeming passing of time? It is also plain that time is directed, pointing to the future, flying away from the past, but how? Does time really have a direction? What physical evidence do we have at disposal to make sense of the idea of a ‘direction of time’? May time be directionless? Or, more radically, is there anything like time at the fundamental physics, or is it rather emergent from a timeless more basic structure?

The University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne have a solid tradition of engagement in foundations and philosophy of physics. The first Geneva-Lausanne Workshop aims not only to address, from different perspectives, philosophical problems around the nature of time in philosophy and physics, but also to strength the relations between both universities, to promote the interchange of perspectives, and to foster the collaboration between researcher and students from both universities.

Conference Organizers

 Cristian Lopez (University of Lausanne)

Christian Wüthrich (University of Geneva)

Enrico Cinti (University of Geneva/University of Urbino)

Joshua Babic (University of Geneva)

Emilia Margoni (University of Geneva/University of Florence)