Hosting the tenth Annual Conference of the International Association for the Philosophy of Time (IAPT) from July 7-9, the University of Santiago, Chile, established itself as a global hub for the subject. The three-day event, which took place at the Center for Postgraduate Studies and Continuing Education (Cepec), gathered leading specialists to explore the nature, perception, and physics of time—an age-old enigma that has captivated human thought for centuries.
The event was sponsored by Usach, with additional funding from Wake Forest University and the Thomas Jack Lynch Philosophy Fund. It not only represents a recognition of South America's growing influence in philosophy but also highlights our university's strong institutional support for research excellence.
According to Dr. Carlo Rossi Fernández, a philosophy professor at Usach and the event's organizer, this year's conference was particularly significant. "This is the first time the tenth conference of this association has been held in a country outside Europe, the United States, and Australia," he said, calling it "an important milestone" for bringing such a high-level academic event to Chile. Dr. Rossi noted that this allowed the university to host specialists from around the world who presented "original research on what we might call the limits of each of these debates."
The conference was notable for its high-level presentations, which explored topics at the forefront of current knowledge. According to Joaquín Aldoney, an undergraduate thesis student from the Catholic University and a conference assistant, the experience was "extremely stimulating" and a "quite unique opportunity."
"The topics being discussed are at the forefront of current research in the philosophy of time," Dr. Rossi explained. "These are positions that have not yet been explored, problematizations of things that are very recent in the literature." He highlighted the atmosphere of innovation that permeated each session, underscoring the conference's role in advancing the field.
This cutting-edge conference was fueled by a rich interdisciplinary dialogue. Óscar Orellana, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Federico Santa María Technical University, valued the interaction with the philosophers.
"They think a little differently in the sense that they are more metaphysical," he explained. "From that point of view, this interdisciplinary work is very interesting. The contact, the interaction, allows me to learn many things from them."
The conference showcased a rich diversity of perspectives. This was particularly evident in a presentation by Florian Gatignon, a doctoral student at the University of Geneva, who presented his research on how objects persist over time, challenging the intuitionist theory of "Endurantism." Reflecting on this unique environment, Graeme Forbes from the University of Kent found it "incredibly beautiful" that the "speaker and most of those asking questions were native speakers of different languages, and they came together to find a way to talk about this difficult topic."
Dr. Rossi emphasized that strong institutional support, like that provided by the University of Santiago, is crucial for hosting such events. He called the university's commitment, which provides the necessary material conditions and support for an excellent academic body, "very remarkable, very exceptional at Usach."
Dr. Rossi concludes that this support directly benefits the student community. "If you are considering studying what we offer at the undergraduate level, with our pedagogy in philosophy or the Master's in Philosophy of Science, you are bound to benefit from it," he said. He emphasized that this shows a commitment not just from the academic body to research excellence, but also from the university as a whole.
The successful tenth Annual Conference of the IAPT not only leaves an indelible mark on philosophical debate but also reaffirms the role of the University of Santiago and its Faculty of Humanities as a beacon of critical thinking and academic rigor with international reach.