Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

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SYBH: Symposium Black Holes

SYBH 1: Symposium Black Holes (SYBH)

SYBH 1.3: Invited Talk

Monday, March 15, 2010, 14:25–15:00, HG Aula

Philosophical Aspects of Black Holes — •Chris Smeenk — University of Western Ontario, Department of Philosophy, Talbot College, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada

Black holes have been a focus of intense research interest because their description draws on ideas from the three main branches of fundamental physics -- general relativity, quantum physics, and thermodynamics. There are a number of intriguing puzzles regarding black holes: why do they seem to behave like thermal objects, and is information lost in black hole evaporation? Attempts to solve these puzzles have to face up to conflicts between the basic concepts of the different branches of fundamental physics. But the discussions have also invoked philosophical positions, in particular Bohr's idea of "complementarity." This talk will focus on assessing "black hole complementarity" from a philosophical point of view. I will argue that the crucial questions at issue in this debate are somewhat orthogonal to Bohr's original position, and instead involve questions regarding the applicability of different effective theories.