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Space and Time 1909-2024

The Seventh International Conference on the Nature and Ontology of Spacetime will commemorate the 115th anniversary of the publication (in 1909) of Minkowski's 1908 world-view-changing lecture "Space and Time," which presented the novel ideas of the spacetime structure of the world and the four-dimensional physics of spacetime. The Scientific Organizing Committee invites papers from physicists, philosophers of physics and philosophers on any topic related to the nature and ontology of spacetime.

In addition to talks, special discussion time (after 16:00 in the afternoon) is included in the program to stimulate more informal discussions among the participants. For this reason we encourage interested colleagues to attend the conference even if they do not plan to give a talk.

As there is no main theme of the seventh spacetime conference a number of sessions have been suggested by colleagues: Minkowski's actual and intended contributions to spacetime physics - a special session to mark the 160th anniversary of the birth of Hermann Minkowski (1864-2024) Nature of time - Flow of time; Becoming What does the concept of spacetime represent - a real (physical) four-dimensional world (as Minkowski advocated) or merely a mathematical manifold? The controversy over Relativistic Mass Open Questions in Spacetime Physics Spacetime and Free Will Nature of Black Holes Is there a real conflict between relativity and quantum mechanics? Quantum Gravity: Where do we stand? Please let us know at 2024conference@minkowskiinstitute.com if you are interested in participating in some of these sessions. Or suggest another special session. Depending on the number of colleagues participating in a special session, we plan to publish a volume with the talks presented at the session, which will include constructive criticism and the replies of the authors.

Extended abstracts of between one and two pages should be emailed to 2024conference@minkowskiinstitute.com by June 1, 2024. Submissions will be reviewed and notification of acceptance will be sent by June 15, 2024.

A volume with selected talks will be published (the papers will be peer-reviewed).

Students may be offered a registration discount if financially possible. Graduate students interested in attending but concerned about cost should submit an abstract and will be contacted before the registration deadline if a discount is possible.