Carlo Rovelli: Difference between revisions

| workplaces = {{ubl|[[University of Pittsburgh]]|[[Aix-Marseille University]]|[[Sapienza University of Rome]]|[[Syracuse University]]|[[Yale University]]|[[Perimeter Institute]]|[[University of Western Ontario|Western University]]|[[Santa Fe Institute]]}}

| awards = {{ubl|PrixLewis duThomas Rayonnement InternationalPrize (2024)|(2004)|1995 International Xanthopoulos Award (1995)}}

'''Carlo Rovelli''' (born 3 May 3, 1956) is an Italian [[theoretical physics|theoretical physicist]] and writer who has worked in Italy, the United States and, since 2000France, inand FranceCanada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~rovelli/vita.pdf |title=Resume |website=www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr }}</ref> He is also currently Emeritus Professor at the Centre de Physique Theorique of Marseille in France, a Distinguished Visiting Research Chair at the [[Perimeter Institute]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://perimeterinstitute.ca/people/carlo-rovelli |title=Facultypage |website=www.perimeterinstitute.ca}}</ref> and core member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy of [[University of Western Ontario|Western University]]. in Canada,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/rotman-members/faculty/ |title=Faculty |website=www.rotman.uwo.ca}}</ref> and Fractal Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute in The United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://santafe.edu/people/profile/carlo-rovelli |title=Fractal faculty |website=www.santafe.edu/people/profile/carlo-rovelli}}</ref>

Rovelli works mainly in the field of [[quantum gravity]] and is a founder of the theory of [[loop quantum gravity]]. He has also worked in the [[history of science|history]] and [[philosophy of science]], formulating the Relational [[Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics]] and the notion of [[Thermal Time]]. He collaborates with several Italian newspapers, including the cultural supplements of the ''[[Corriere della Sera]]'', ''[[Il Sole 24 Ore]]'', and ''[[La Repubblica]]''. His [[popular science]] book, ''[[Seven Brief Lessons on Physics]]'', was originally published in Italian in 2014. It has been translated into 41 languages<ref>[[List of literary works by number of translations]]</ref> and has sold over a million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/25/carlo-rovelli-i-felt-the-beautiful-adventure-of-physics-was-a-story-that-had-to-be-told|title=Carlo Rovelli: 'I felt the beautiful adventure of physics was a story that had to be told'|author=Carlo Rovelli|website=The Guardian|date=2017-07-25|access-date=2018-04-05}}</ref> In 2019, he was included by ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' magazine in athe list of the 100 most influential global thinkers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019-global-thinkers/|title=2019 Global Thinkers|work=Foreign Policy|date=2019-01-12}}</ref> In 2021, he was included by ''[[Prospect (magazine)|Prospect]]'' magazine in the list of the 50 world's top thinkers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/37755/the-worlds-top-50-thinkers-2021 |title=The world's top 50 thinkers 2021|work=Prospect Magazine|date=2021-07-13}}</ref>

[[File:CARLO ROVELLI.jpg|thumb|Carlo Rovelli, in Rome 2015]]

Rovelli defines himself "serenely atheist".<ref name="Kindness">''There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness'', Penguin Random House, 2020</ref> He discussed his religious views in several articles and in his book on [[Anaximander]]. He argues that the conflict between rational/scientific thinking and structured religion may find periods of truce ("there is no contradiction between solving Maxwell's equations and believing that God created Heaven and Earth"),<ref name="FS">''The First Scientist'', pg. 153.</ref> but it is ultimately unsolvable because (most) religions demand the acceptance of some unquestionable truths while scientific thinking is based on the continuous questioning of any truth. Thus, for Rovelli, the source of the conflict is not the pretense of science to give answers{{snd}} thefor universeRovelli, forthe Rovelliuniverse is full of mystery and a source of awe and emotions{{snd}} but, on the contrary, the source of the conflict is the acceptance of our ignorance at the foundation of science, which clashes with religions' pretense to be depositories of certain knowledge.<ref name="FS"/>

Rovelli's first book is on the Italian student political movements in the 1970s.<ref>''Bologna, marzo 1977 ...fatti nostri...'', Bertani, 1978</ref> He later refused to compulsory military draft and was briefly detained. In 2021, he coordinated the [[Global Peace Dividend]], an open letter signed by more that 50 Nobel Laureates, including the Dalai Lama, calling for all countries to negotiate a balanced cut on their military spending by 2% a year for the next five years, and put half the saved money in a UN fund to combat pandemics, the climate crisis, and extreme poverty.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/14/nobel-laureates-cut-military-spending-worldwide-un-peace-dividend "‘Colossal waste’: Nobel laureates call for 2% cut to military spending worldwide"], The Guardian 14-12-2-2021, 2017. Retrieved 1-6-2023</ref>

In 2021, he coordinated the [[Global Peace Dividend]], an open letter signed by more that 50 Nobel Laureates, including the Dalai Lama, calling for all countries to negotiate a balanced cut on their military spending by 2% a year for the next five years, and put half the saved money in a UN fund to combat pandemics, the climate crisis, and extreme poverty.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/14/nobel-laureates-cut-military-spending-worldwide-un-peace-dividend "‘Colossal waste’: Nobel laureates call for 2% cut to military spending worldwide"], The Guardian 14-12-2-2021, 2017. RetrievedOn 1-6-2023</ref> On May first 2023, Rovelli gave a political speech at the large Italian Labour Day concert in Rome, inviting the youth to engage politically for the environment, economical equality and peace, and criticizing the Italian Defence Minister [[Guido Crosetto]] for his direct involvement with the industrial military complex. The speech raised a large controversy.<ref>[https://www.corriere.it/politica/23_maggio_03/rovelli-primo-maggio-crosetto-67b52026-e923-11ed-ab1b-11aa9107d7a1.shtml "Rovelli: «Al Primo Maggio ho detto quello che pensavo: non sono filorusso, ma questo governo fa scelte bellicose»"], Corriere della Sera 23-5-2023, 2017. Retrieved 1-6-2023</ref> As a consequence, his invitation to represent Italy at the 2024 [[Frankfurt Book Fair]] was cancelled; the cancellation itself was widely criticized, leading to his re-invitation,<ref>[https://www.corriere.it/cronache/23_maggio_14/caso-rovelli-retromarcia-levi-fisico-sara-fiera-francoforte-87c0d9fe-f211-11ed-a4b3-4ddf09c7299d.shtml "Caso Rovelli, la retromarcia di Levi: il fisico sarà alla Fiera di Francoforte", Corriere della Sera, 23-3-2023.]</ref> and the resignation of the Italian Commissary for the Buchmesse.<ref>[https://www.ilmessaggero.it/politica/ricardo_franco_levi_figlio_dimissioni_ministro_sangiuliano_rovelli_fiera_francoforte-7425470.html "Ricardo Franco Levi, lettera di dimissioni a Sangiuliano dopo il caso Rovelli e le polemiche sul figlio"], Il Messaggero 26-5-2023, 2017. Retrieved 1-6-2023</ref> Rovelli repeated his call for reduced military spending and improved international cooperation following the outbreak of the [[2023 Israel–Hamas war]].<ref name="rovelli-2023">.