Philosophy of Digital Physics
14 March - 11 April 2025
Biography
Dean Rickles is Professor of History and Philosophy of Modern Physics at the University of Sydney, where he also serves as a Co-Director of the university’s interdisciplinary Centre of Time. He holds a PhD from the University of Leeds, focusing on conceptual issues of quantum gravity. Between 2005 and 2007 he held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary, conjoint with the Health Sciences and Philosophy. From 2008 he received a 5-year ARC Australian Research Fellowship followed by a 4-year ARC Future Fellowship in 2014. His primary research focus is quantum gravity and spacetime physics, for which he was awarded the Royal Society (NSW) HPS Medal in 2021. He has many other academic interests outside of this, including philosophy and history more generally; the study of consciousness; AI and machine learning; musicology; art; architecture; economics; public health; theology and religion; social theory; and psychology. He trained as a concert pianist earlier in life, and still gives sporadic recitals. His recent books include Covered in Deep Mist: The Development of Quantum Gravity, 1916-1956 (Oxford University Press, 2020); Life is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making it More Meaningful (Princeton University Press, 2022); Dual-Aspect Monism and the Deep Structure of Meaning (co-authored with Harald Atmanspacher: Routledge, 2022); and Varieties of Nothingness (co-edited with Leslie Stein, Chiron 2024).
Research Summary
Prof. Rickles will be exploring the philosophical implications of recent developments in so-called "digital physics," in which the foundations of the physical cosmos are taken to be grounded in information. This view has been defended in simple terms by, e.g. David Chalmers, who accepts something like John Wheeler's epigram "It from Bit," in which things in the world are secondary to the asking of questions about the world (i.e. is the electron spin up or spin down?). On this view there is no ready-made world, out there, waiting to be uncovered. However, Chalmers, and every other view thus far adopting the "Everything is Information" approach, misunderstand a basic feature that is also necessary if following this strategy: there must be something posing the questions. Wheeler knew this, but did not encapsulate it in his motto. As he saw it, the key element is what he called the "observer-participator." However, this clearly threatens to spoil the nice clean ontological picture suggested by "It from Bit." For what exactly is this additional element? Can it be incorporated into the digital physics picture? Rickles consider these issues, an related issues in pregeometry and cybernetics, together with Karim Thebault. Prof. Rickles and Dr. Thébault will also work together on the connection between the idea of an observing system as part of the system observed and the framework of open quantum systems. Dr. Thébault is currently leading a major international research project on the philosophy of open quantum systems. The visit will provide an opportunity for exploration of connections between digital physics and open quantum systems and deep philosophical questions relating to reflexivity. Rickles will provide a public lecture on the past, present, and future of information, as well as both a departmental seminar and a graduate seminar on more philosophical aspects of the research.
Prof. Rickles' lectures and seminars will be listed on our Events page in due course.
You can contact his host Dr Karim Thebault for further information.
