Victor Suchar Christmas Lecture Saturday 15 March 2008 VICTOR SUCHAR LECTURE Originally planned for 14.12.2007 Visitors welcome

Betty Suchar

This lecture which continues the series initiated by Victor Suchar, and now newly entitled, in his honour, the "Victor Suchar Christmas Lectures", will be given by Professor Christopher Isham, of Imperial College London.

His title is :

"What is a thing?

Quantum theory & the concept of reality"

Describing his lecture, he says:

"'What is a thing?': Most modern philosophers would deem this question meaningless, though it seemed profound to the Ancient Greeks who afforded it the greatest respect. Yet it now lies at the heart of the debate about the meaning, and scope, of quantum theory. In particular, can quantum theory only ever deal with 'things-as-they-appear-to-us', or can the 'thingness of the thing' be addressed directly?

In this talk I will discuss some of the deepest philosophical questions that arise in quantum theory. In respectful memory of Victor Suchar, the talk will be wide-ranging, including some of Jung’s ideas on the archetypal nature of reality, as well as some of the very latest work on the foundations of quantum theory"


The lecture will be given on Saturday 15th March at 7.30pm, and will be preceded by a reception at 6.30pm.

David Cunliffe-Jones - February 2008