Simplicities & Complexities

Call for Registration: 1 May 2019

speakers | registration | competition | practical | schedule | contact

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Simplicity and Complexity in Scientific Knowledge and Practices

"Simplicities and Complexities" will take place from 22 to 24 May 2019 at the University of Bonn, Germany. It aims to bring together scientists and scholars from a spectrum of disciplines such as physics, biology, ecology, chemistry, and computational science, as well as from philosophy, sociology, and history of science. This conference is organized by the interdisciplinary, DFG- and FWF-funded research unit "Epistemology of the LHC".

Philosophers and scientists alike have often assumed simplicity to be an epistemic ideal. Some examples of theories taken as successful realizations of this ideal include General Relativity and Darwin's theory of Natural Selection. These theories influenced early and mid-20th century philosophers' understanding of the criteria successful scientific theories and practices had to meet, even when facing complex phenomena. However, this influence did not mean that the notion of simplicity was clear-cut. A suitable and encompassing definition of simplicity has yet to be developed. Some unanswered questions include: In what sense can and do physicists consider a theory, such as the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, as being sufficiently simple? How do ideals of simplicity differ when applied to disciplines other than physics? Biological concepts, for example, do not tend to refer to laws, whereas concepts from the social sciences frequently resort to notions of order and structure that are different from those of natural sciences. Are there, accordingly, simplicities (in plural) rather than a unified logic-inspired notion? Finally, are there cases where simplicity is simply a bad epistemic ideal, and not merely for the reason that it is often unreachable?

Throughout the 20th century the sciences have approached more and more complex phenomena, in tune with the increased social relevance of scientific knowledge. The perceived need to address complexity head-on has led to a broader reaction against simplification and reductionism within the sciences. However, if simplicity, in its various outfits, has proven an unreliable guide, what should it be replaced with? Looking at the various strategies of addressing complexity in the sciences and the disciplines reflecting upon them, it appears that the notion is at least as variegated as simplicity. To be sure, there exist measures of complexity as well as mathematical, empirical, or discursive strategies to deal with it, but they vary strongly from one discipline to another.

The aim of the conference is to analyze, differentiate, and connect the various notions and practices of simplicity and complexity, in physics as well as in other sciences, guided by the following questions:

• Which kinds and levels of simplicity can be distinguished (e.g. formal or ontological, structural or practical)? Which roles do they play and which purposes do they serve? Does simplicity, in a suitable reformulation, remain a valid ideal - and if so, in which fields and problem contexts? Or, instead, where has it been abandoned or replaced by a plurality of interconnected approaches and alternative perspectives?
• What about complexity? How is the complexity of an object of investigation addressed (represented, mirrored, negated, etc.) by the adopted theoretical and empirical approaches in different fields?
• Addressing complex problems, especially those relevant to society, requires institutional settings beyond the traditional research laboratory. How does the complexity of such settings relate to the complexity of epistemic strategies and of the problems themselves? In what sense can we trust the other players in a complex epistemic network?
• How should we conceive of the relation between simplicity and complexity? Are there alternatives to seeing complexity in opposition to simplicity? Does physics, in virtue of its history, maintain its special position in the contemporary debates on simplicity and complexity? What do reflections on the epistemic cultures of ecology, cultural anthropology, economics, etc. have to offer in terms of how simplicities and complexities can be balanced?

We invite contributors from a spectrum of disciplines, scientists and scholars reflecting on their respective and neighboring research fields, as well as historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science investigating the epistemologies, practices, and discourses of fellow epistemic communities. The conference will thrive on intense discussion surpassing disciplinary boundaries.

Invited Speakers

Marta Bertolaso, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome (Italy) | web

Simplicity in Biological Complexity: the Case of Cancer

Stefan Böschen, RWTH Aachen (Germany) | web

Indicator Politics: reducing complexities while using epistemic tactics of problem-invention

Stephen Blundell, University of Oxford (UK) | web

Complexity and emergent simplicity in quantum materials

Talia Dan-Cohen, Washington University in St. Louis (US) | web

The Uses of Complexity in Anthropology

Richard Dawid, Stockholms Universitet (Sweden) | web

Simplicity, Fundamentality and Effectiveness

Volker Grimm, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Germany) | web

Per aspera ad astra: ecology’s way to simplicity has to embrace complexity

Robert Harlander, RWTH Aachen (Germany) | web

Simplicity vs. Complexity in Theoretical Particle Physics

Beate Heinemann, DESY Freiburg (Germany) | web

Detecting LHC Collisions: A Complex Endeavour

Johannes Lenhard, Universität Bielefeld (Germany) | web

Elephant and Ant. Complexity, Prediction, and Modeling Strategy

Michael Stöltzner, University of South Carolina (US) | web

Simplicities and Complexities in Particle Physics

Thomas Vogt, University of South Carolina (US) | web

Simplicities & Complexities in Chemistry – the Languages of Vague Ideas 

 

In addition, we will hold 27 contributed talks distributed in three parallel sessions and one award talk.

 

 

 

Registration 

The organising committee invites participants from sciences and from philosophy, history, sociology of physics/science, as well as anyone else who may be interested. In order to register for this conference, please email your name and affiliation to lhc.epistemology[at]uni-wuppertal.de by 1 May 2019. Registration is free. Please note that you are responsible for arranging your own travel and accommodation. The number of participants is limited. Registration will be confirmed. 

Essay competition

All submitted abstracts will also automatically be considered for the ‘Simplicities & Complexities Essay Competition’. (If you do not want your abstract to be considered for this competition, please indicate this through EasyChair at the time of application.) From the list of applicants selected to give contributing talks, a shortlist of the six best submissions will be determined. These six finalists enter the final round of the Essay Competition. They will be contacted by February 15th, and asked to submit a 3000-5000-word essay before April 15th. One winner will be chosen and announced in the first week of May. This winner will receive the following prizes:

• Instead of a regular contributing talk, the winner will present their essay during a longer, public ‘Award Lecture’ (at some point during the conference)
• Reimbursement of travel and hotel costs (total up to 500€)

Please note that once shortlisted you are guaranteed to speak at the Conference (either as a regular contributing speaker, or, in case of the winner, as the Award-winning Public Speaker).

Practical Information and Location Details

The venue of the conference is the Universitätsclub Bonn, Konviktstraße 9, 53113 Bonn.

The following airports are nearby:

Cologne-Bonn. Intercontinental airport.

    Take the Airport bus SB60 to Bonn and get off at "Bonn Markt".

A taxi - airport to Universityclub Bonn - about 45€.

Düsseldorf. Third-largest intercontinental airport in Germany.

Frankfurt (am Main). Largest intercontinental airport in Germany.

Schedule

The general schedule can be found here, the schedule for the parallel talks can be found here. A more detailed schedule including a booklet of abstracts can be found here. 

Organization

This workshop is organized by the DFG and FWF-funded research unit "Epistemology of the LHC".

• Cristin Chall (University of Bonn)
• Dennis Lehmkuhl (University of Bonn)
• Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen)
• Martina Merz (University of Klagenfurt)
• Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo (University of Wuppertal)
• Gregor Schiemann (University of Wuppertal)
• Michael Stöltzner (University of South Carolina)

Contact

For further information, please contact lhc.epistemology[at]uni-wuppertal.de