Physicists and mathematicians sometimes talk about how certain properties or features 'emerge' from out of their equations. Indeed, there is even an entire research focus studying 'emergence'. But conceptually what does it mean? And does it, or should it, have any links with any other discipline?
(Murmurations are an oft-cited example of emergent behaviour in the natural world)
To help answer these questions, Seb Wilkes (Doctoral researcher in theoretical beam dynamics) has brought together some great minds from physics to the humanities to allow us to go on a such a journey; starting in physics and ending in the arts, the event will feature a mixture of speakers sharing their work and perspectives. Through this, as well as various Q&As, we shall see together if there may be some common links.
If you are free on the 29th June (13:00-17:30) then please do come to a free & open-to-all symposium titled Emergence in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre (Physics department). If you have any friends in other departments, they are not only welcome but encouraged! It is with that diversity that the Q&A sections will become all that much richer.
The invited speakers are:
- Professor Stephen Blundell (Condensed Matter Physics)
- Marta Bielińska (DPhil Philosophy of Physics)
- Alex Spies (PhD Machine Learning @ Imperial College London)
- Matthew Oulton (Institute for Fiscal Studies)
- Yannik Herbert (DPhil History of Science)
- Justine Varga (DPhil Fine Art)
The titles of the talks are (correspondingly):
- Emergence: storytelling for multi-particle creatures in a complex Universe
- Emergence and symmetries
- The emergence of intelligence: from bitter lessons to universal minds
- Why are we waiting? Queues and other emergent behaviour in economics.
- Inventing the wheel: How public transport first became a network
- Emergence: becoming photography
Signing up is necessary, so please head to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSex5tRLQnw7yVJGuXfgAkXMVrmXAPJ68Z9hYik2GmDlROUcvQ/viewform?usp=dialog to register now!