News

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 – Call for Expressions of Interest (Philosophy of Physics, Warsaw University of Technology)

  • Posted on 23 March 2026
  • /Under Grant
Call for Expressions of Interest MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 Philosophy of Physics Group – Warsaw University of Technology The Philosophy of Physics Group at the Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) invites expressions of interest from strong candidates wishing to apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA PF 2026), with WUT as the host institution. The MSCA PF is one of the most competitive and prestigious funding schemes in Europe, supporting excellent researchers through international mobility and advanced training. The 2026 call is expected to open on 9 April 2026 with a deadline…continue reading →

CfA: The Warsaw Dialogues in the Philosophy of Physics (23–24 September 2026)

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS The Warsaw Dialogues in the Philosophy of Physics Warsaw University of Technology, 23–24 September 2026 The Warsaw Dialogues in the Philosophy of Physics is a new international conference organized by the Philosophy of Physics Group at the Warsaw University of Technology. The meeting aims to bring together researchers working across the full range of topics in the philosophy of physics and to foster focused discussion in a collegial setting. Confirmed speakers Tomasz Bigaj (University of Warsaw) Eddy Keming Chen (UC San Diego) Eugene Y. S. Chua (Nanyang Technological University) Silvia…continue reading →

New Publication by Antonio Vassallo in Synthese

  • Posted on 22 May 2025
  • /Under ICFO
We are pleased to announce that the paper “Shape Space as a Conceptual Space” by Antonio Vassallo has been published open access in Synthese. You can read the full article here. This paper argues that the configuration space central to pure shape dynamics—shape space—should be understood not as a physical arena but as a conceptual space. Drawing on insights from the philosophy of cognitive science, the article examines how this reinterpretation addresses longstanding objections to relationalism and provides a fresh epistemic framework for understanding timeless, background-independent physics. Special attention is given to how…continue reading →

New book chapter by A. Vassallo and P. Naranjo for OUP

  • Posted on 30 April 2025
  • /Under ICFO
We are happy to share that the chapter “On the Prospects of a de Broglie–Bohm–Barbour–Bertotti Theory” by Antonio Vassallo and Pedro Naranjo has just been published in the volume Guiding Waves in Quantum Mechanics: One Hundred Years of de Broglie–Bohm Pilot-Wave Theory (Oxford University Press, 2025), edited by A. Oldofredi. This chapter investigates whether a de Broglie–Bohm-type quantum theory can be made genuinely background-independent by adapting the relational framework originally developed by Barbour and Bertotti. The authors examine the conceptual and technical challenges involved in formulating a Bohmian dynamics compatible with relational principles…continue reading →

Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy of Physics

  • Posted on 18 April 2025
  • /Under Grant
The Department of Philosophy and Ethics in Administration at Warsaw University of Technology invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher (assistant professor) position within the research project "A Machian Framework for Quantum Physics," led by Dr. hab. Antonio Vassallo and funded by the National Science Center (OPUS-25 grant). Position Details: Duration: 30 months, full-time (40 hours/week) Location: Warsaw, Poland About the Project: The project applies the theoretical framework of Pure Shape Dynamics and a metaphysics of self-subsisting structures to develop a new approach to understanding quantum physics. The goal is to investigate how quantum…continue reading →
Ethics and AI Conference

Ethics and AI Conference

The Philosophy of Computing Group and the Laboratory of the New Ethos were co-organisers of the Ethics & AI, Philosophy in Informatics IX & 19th ArgDiaP Joint Conference, held at PW from 23–25 September, 2024.continue reading →
A book on Topo-Ontology was published

A book on Topo-Ontology was published

  • Posted on 6 April 2022
  • /Under News
A book titled Part and Whole: Towards Topo-Ontology (in Polish: Część i całość. W stronę topoontologii) by Bartłomiej Skowron was published in December 2021. The book is available in open access. A PDF can be found here. In this book, the Author reviewed the applications of topology in ontology. He called ontology using topological-spatial structures Topological Ontology or Topo-Ontology for short. When philosophical thinking about spatial qualities (Topo-Ontology is based on them) went beyond the limits of ontology, he spoke of Topo-Philosophy. He also presented dozens of ideas from many philosophers (including Thom,…continue reading →

Warsaw Spacetime Colloquium (online) – New term program

  • Posted on 9 February 2022
  • /Under News
The Philosophy of Physics Group is happy to announce the program of the Warsaw Spacetime Colloquium for the upcoming term: 25 February (17:00-19:00 CET) – John Norton (University of Pittsburgh) – "Eternal Inflation: When Probabilities Fail." 11 March (17:00-19:00 CET) – Claudio Calosi (University of Geneva) – "Out of All the Indifferences, Into One Thing: Wavefunction Monism." 25 March (17:00-19:00 CET) – Samuel Fletcher (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities) - "What Gravitational Waves Really Teach Us about Energy." 8 April (17:00-19:00 CEST) – Nick Huggett (University of Illinois at Chicago) – "Gravity Meets…continue reading →

Warsaw Spacetime Colloquium: Richard Dawid (21 January on Zoom)

  • Posted on 17 January 2022
  • /Under News
On Friday, 21 January, Richard Dawid (Stockholm University) will give a talk titled "Final but Incomplete - What String Theory May Suggest for 21st Century Physics" (abstract below). The meeting will be online on Zoom (17:00-19:00 CET). If you have not registered yet, you can do so here. You can address any inquiry to antonio.vassallo@pw.edu.pl. ABSTRACT String theory has not come close to a complete formulation after half a century of intense research. On the other hand, a number of features of the theory suggest that the theory, once completed, may be a…continue reading →

Warsaw Spacetime Colloquium: Elise Crull (7 January on Zoom)

  • Posted on 3 January 2022
  • /Under News
On Friday, 7 January, Elise Crull (City University of New York) will give a talk titled "You're a Good Man, Harvey Brown: Quantum Rods & Clocks from Decoherence" (abstract below). The meeting will be online on Zoom (17:00-19:00 CET). If you have not registered yet, you can do so here. You can address any inquiry to antonio.vassallo@pw.edu.pl. ABSTRACT Harvey Brown's 2005 book Physical Relativity calls for the development of a constructive-theoretic (as opposed to principle-theoretic) interpretation of relativity: in short, for a quantum-dynamical description of rods and clocks. Significant issues, however, stand in…continue reading →