Waiting for Biennale 2024
Conference
Quantum Mechanics and Reality: A Challenge to Common Sense
Angelo Bassi, Federico Laudisa
Introduction by: Marco Cavaglià, Juan Carlos De Martin, Camillo Venesio, Michele Caponigro
December 1, 2023, 9:00 PM
Waiting for Biennale 2024
Angelo Bassi and Federico Laudisa discuss the relationship between quantum mechanics and representations of reality from both a scientific and philosophical perspective. Quantum mechanics describes matter in terms of waves, and quantum waves, like all waves, can spread out and give rise to phenomena of superposition and interference. However, when observed, the waves disappear, and matter appears solid and compact as we commonly know it. Even more mysteriously, quantum waves exhibit remote correlations that defy common sense: these are correlations linked to the phenomenon of entanglement, which have no counterpart in classical physics. For these reasons, Quantum Mechanics poses a challenge to the image of the world we have constructed based on common sense. The conceptual foundations of the theory will be presented, and the disruptive effects it has had, also from a philosophical standpoint, will be analyzed.
Conference Venue: Giovanni Agnelli Lecture Hall, Polytechnic University of Turin, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, Turin
Organized by QPP Seralmente in collaboration with M3B Lab of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Polytechnic University of Turin)
With the support of the Venesio Foundation
Participation Certificate: Issued upon request
Free admission, open to everyone, subject to seat availability
Reservation recommended
Reservations can be made through Eventbrite
Short CV of the Speaker
Angelo Bassi
Graduated in Physics from the University of Trieste. In 2001, he obtained his Ph.D. in Physics; subsequently, he was a Post Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Scientist at the ICTP in Trieste, and a Marie-Curie Fellow at the Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich. He is now a full professor of Theoretical Physics at the Department of Physics of the University of Trieste. His research focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics. He is the author of over 150 publications in international journals, invited speaker at over 70 international conferences, and organizer of 30 conferences. He has been invited to present his research at the most prestigious institutes worldwide (including MIT, Harvard, Columbia University, NYU, Princeton). He coordinates numerous national and international research projects. He has been the director of the COST Actions “Fundamental Problems in Quantum Physics” and “Quantum Technologies in Space”. He was interviewed by the New York Times Magazine with a dedicated profile (June 2020), by “Le Scienze” (April 2021), and several other international scientific magazines. The newspaper La Repubblica dedicated a longform article to him (October 2021). He is now a contributor to Repubblica, for which he writes articles on quantum physics and quantum technologies
Federico Laudisa
He graduated in Philosophy from the University of Florence. In 1996, he obtained his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Florence. He was a fellow at the University of Padua and the University of Florence and a CNR-NATO fellow at the University of Budapest, before becoming an associate professor in 2001 at the University of Milano-Bicocca. After teaching at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan and the University of Bologna, he has been an associate professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the Department of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Trento since 2019. He obtained the national scientific qualification for the first tier in the competition sector 11/C2 – Logic, history, and philosophy of science. He has presented the results of his research in numerous philosophy and physics departments, as well as research centers, in Italy and abroad (including Cambridge, Paris, Amsterdam, Krakow, Toronto, Bielefeld, Lisbon, Lausanne). His research focuses on the philosophy of natural sciences, with particular attention to modern physics. Among his writings are the monographs Hume (Carocci 2009), Causality (Carocci 2010), Naturalism. Philosophy, science, mythology (Laterza 2014), Albert Einstein and the scientific image of the world (Carocci 2015), Reality in the age of quanta. Einstein, Bohr, and the new image of the world (Bollati Boringhieri 2019), From physics to natural philosophy. Niels Bohr and the scientific culture of the twentieth century (Bollati Boringhieri 2023), as well as numerous articles on the history and philosophy of science in national and international journals.
Dr. Marco Cavaglià
Dr. Marco Cavaglià is currently engaged as a Researcher in Industrial Bioengineering at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin (POLITO), dedicating his studies to innovative research on the state of consciousness, with a particular focus on general anesthesia as a research model. His current research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate brain functions, with a specific interest in the role of lipids in neuronal membranes and their impact on neural dynamics. This area of study promises to open new perspectives on neuroprotection, neuroplasticity, and neurodegenerative diseases. With a basic education in Medicine and Surgery obtained at the University of Turin, and a specialization in Anesthesia and Resuscitation, Dr. Cavaglià has consolidated his career through significant clinical and research experiences, including the direction of the pediatric cardio-surgical program at the Aldo Castaneda Institute in Switzerland. His academic path was enriched by a profound research experience at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in the USA and by obtaining a Ph.D. from the University of Insubria in Varese. Beyond his research, Dr. Cavaglià serves as an Assistant Professor, actively contributing to teaching in the master courses of Rational Drug Design, covering functional chemistry topics, and in Biomechanical Design, focusing on cellular molecular physiology and an introduction to neuroscience. This blend of teaching and research highlights his commitment to educating the next generations of scientists and bioengineers, providing them with the skills to tackle future challenges in bioengineering and medicine. In his current role, Dr. Cavaglià actively engages in the university’s “third mission,” promoting scientific dissemination and public education through organizing conferences with the QPP Seralmente association. This commitment reflects his dedication not only to research and clinical practice but also to open dialogue with society, to share scientific discoveries and stimulate greater awareness of brain health.
Dr. Michele Caponigro
Dopo la Laurea in Fisica,
ha ottenuto un dottorato in Fisica,
un secondo in Epistemologia della Complessità
ed un terzo in Filosofia della Scienza.
La sua area di ricerca sono i Fondamenti della Meccanica Quantistica, le Interpretazioni della Meccanica Quantistica e la Filosofia della Fisica.
Fa parte del centro di ricerca dell’Università di Bergamo ISHTAR (Indeterminism in Sciences and Historico-philosophical, Transdisciplinary Advanced Research Center).
Dal 2012 si interessa di Divulgazione della Scienza al grande pubblico attraverso l’organizzazione di numerose conferenze interdisciplinari sulla ricerca d’avanguardia.