Tagung: Concepts of Simultaneity
Universität Erfurt, Mitarbeitergebäude 1, Senatssaal
3. Dezember 2015, 14:00 Uhr – 5. Dezember 2015, 16:00 Uhr
The term simultaneity is used in a variety of contexts to denote phenomena of »same-time-ness« – in daily life as well as in specific scientific fields like physics, technology, biology or ergonomics. Despite its widespread occurrence, the term does not specify whether synchronicity is involved or not, whether the events perceived as simultaneous are exactly so in every moment of time, or just at several coinciding moments during a larger time span; nor does it clarify whether the simultaneous states are all likewise real (in a temporal and local presence) or only potentially or virtually at the same time, as not-yet-actualized superimposed states. What do we really mean when we say that something is happening »at the same time«?
How can we define and understand simultaneity before, with and after the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics? Which concepts actually deny the possibility of absolute simultaneity? What are the political or ethical questions entailed in sociological constellations of temporal concordance?
This international conference aims to discuss ontological as well as phenomenological concepts of simultaneity from various disciplines (anthropology, cultural history, sociology, philosophy, narratology, media and film studies, comparative literature, and physics) with a main focus on theories of the 20th century.
Interessenten sind zur Tagung herzlich eingeladen!