Laws of Nature: Their Nature and Knowability

In any era, the laws of nature take certain forms, and these forms tend in turn to guide contemporary research. But new problems require new ways of thinking. This workshop will gather a small group of physicists, philosophers, and mathematicians in order to explore and share ideas on the nature of physical law. Topics will include the role of time in fundamental physics, the distinction between laws and initial conditions, and the role of mathematics in the formulation of physical law and the role of statistical inference in discovering, confirming, and falsifying laws, including recent explorations of limitations arising from our limited access to the object of study (be it the eternally-inflating universe or the physics of the Planck scale) and from more general considerations.

There will be 10 presentations over the course of three days, with ample time for discussion. All of the presenters will be expected to speak directly to one of the workshop topics. One other participant will serve as an official discussant, and provide thereby an entrée into discussion.

Participants:

Niayesh Afshordi, Perimeter Institute
Anthony Aguirre, University of California, Santa Cruz
Julian Barbour, College Farm
Ariel Caticha, University of Albany (SUNY)
Paul Davies, Arizona State University
Doreen Fraser, University of Waterloo 
Marcelo Gleiser, Dartmouth College
Philip Goyal, Perimeter Institute
Lucien Hardy, Perimeter Institute
Sabine Hossenfelder, Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics
Jenann Ismael, University of Sydney
Kevin Kelly, Carnegie Mellon
Kevin Knuth, University of Albany (SUNY)
Janna Levin, Columbia University
Huw Price, University of Sydney
John Roberts, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute
Chris Smeenk, University of Western Ontario
Rob Spekkens, Perimeter Institute
Roberto Unger, Harvard University
Xiao-Gang Wen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Perimeter Institute
Mark Wilson, University of Pittsburgh