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39In this chapter I consider what recent work on background independent physics can do for structuralism, and what structuralism can do for background independent physics. I focus on the problems of time and observables in gravitational physics. The ‘frozen’ character of the observables of general relativity is usually considered to constitute a serious problem for the theory. I argue that by invoking correlations between physical quantities we can provide a natural explanation of the appear- ance…Read more
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32Dual-Aspect Monism and the Deep Structure of MeaningRoutledge. 2022.This book investigates the metaphysical position of dual-aspect monism, with particular emphasis on the concept of meaning as a fundamental feature of the fabric of reality.
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28Lowe vs Lewis vs Lowe on Temporary IntrinsicsActa Analytica 37 (2): 173-177. 2022.We find that E. J. Lowe’s resolution to David Lewis’s problem of temporary intrinsics is wrong, but not quite for the reasons adduced by Lewis himself. Our discussion hinges on a connection between state-independent properties and intrinsic properties.
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27David Clarke and Eric Clarke, eds. , Music and Consciousness: Philosophical, Psychological, and Cultural Perspectives . Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 32 (4): 253-258. 2012.
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27Structural Realism: Structure, Object, and Causality (edited book)Springer. 2012.Structural realism has rapidly gained in popularity in recent years, but it has splintered into many distinct denominations, often underpinned by diverse motivations. There is, no monolithic position known as ‘structural realism,’ but there is a general convergence on the idea that a central role is to be played by relational aspects over object-based aspects of ontology. What becomes of causality in a world without fundamental objects? In this book, the foremost authorities on structural realis…Read more
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25I examine the early history of quantum gravity and comment on its suitability as an episode that demands an integrated approach to history and philosophy of science.
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24Christophe Bouton and Philippe Huneman: Time of Nature and the Nature of Time: Philosophical Perspectives of Time in Natural Sciences (review)Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 50 (1): 187-189. 2019.
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23Causality in complex interventionsMedicine, Health Care and Philosophy 12 (1): 77-90. 2009.In this paper I look at causality in the context of intervention research, and discuss some problems faced in the evaluation of causal hypotheses via interventions. I draw attention to a simple problem for evaluations that employ randomized controlled trials. The common alternative to randomized trials, the observational study, is shown to face problems of a similar nature. I then argue that these problems become especially acute in cases where the intervention is complex (i.e. that involves int…Read more
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19A deeper meaning for quantum theory is presented, integrating recent developments in participatory realist approaches to quantum mechanics with older ideas involving ineffability and nothingness. I argue that Schelling's notion of the Godhead serves as a useful way of interpreting a superposition which then grounds both our freedom and the indeterminacy of quantum phenomena that makes the theory function.
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17Huw Price and Richard Corry, eds. Causation, Physics, and the Constitution of Reality: Russell's Republic Revisited Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 30 (2): 127-131. 2010.
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15Stephen Wolfram has recently outlined an unorthodox, multicomputational approach to fundamental theory, encompassing not only physics but also mathematics in a structure he calls The Ruliad, understood to be the entangled limit of all possible computations. In this framework, physical laws arise from the the sampling of the Ruliad by observers (including us). This naturally leads to several conceptual issues, such as what kind of object is the Ruliad? What is the nature of the observers carrying…Read more
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15The Birth of String Theory (review)Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 44 (4): 524-526. 2013.
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14Julian Savulescu and Nick Bostrom, eds. , Human Enhancement . Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 31 (1): 64-66. 2011.
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13Life is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making It More MeaningfulPrinceton University Press. 2022.Why life’s shortness—more than anything else—is what makes it meaningful Death might seem to render pointless all our attempts to create a meaningful life. Doesn’t meaning require transcending death through an afterlife or in some other way? On the contrary, Dean Rickles argues, life without death would be like playing tennis without a net. Only constraints—and death is the ultimate constraint—make our actions meaningful. In Life Is Short, Rickles explains why the finiteness and shortness of lif…Read more
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8Of Lego and LayersIn Anthony Aguirre, Brendan Foster & Zeeya Merali (eds.), What is Fundamental?, Springer Verlag. pp. 37-47. 2019.‘Fundamental’ is a prime example of what philosopher John Post called an “accordion word”: highly flexible and capable of expanding or contracting depending on context. Physicists and many cosmologists will view their domain as fundamental, and one will often see the expression ‘fundamental physics’ to describe an actual subject area—the idea being that such practitioners are dealing in ‘compositional ultimates’.
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8A Brief History of String Theory: From Dual Models to M-TheoryImprint: Springer. 2014.During its forty year lifespan, string theory has always had the power to divide, being called both a 'theory of everything' and a 'theory of nothing'. Critics have even questioned whether it qualifies as a scientific theory at all. This book adopts an objective stance, standing back from the question of the truth or falsity of string theory and instead focusing on how it came to be and how it came to occupy its present position in physics. An unexpectedly rich history is revealed, with deep con…Read more
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7Interdisciplinary perspectives on the flow of timeAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1326 (1): 1-8. 2014.Where does the study of the flow of time belong: physics, the cognitive sciences, philosophy, or somewhere else? Physicists and philosophers have set themselves up into two camps: those who believe there is genuine flow or becoming in the world and those who believe there is just a block of events. What had not been considered is whether the subjective feeling of flow of time is the same the world over, whether it could be tampered with by brain injury, or whether it is present at all developmen…Read more
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7Peter Machamer and Gereon Wolters, eds. Thinking About Causes: From Greek Philosophy to Modern Physics Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 30 (2): 127-131. 2010.
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7The philosophy of physicsPolity. 2016.Interpreting physical theories -- General concepts of physics -- Symmetries in physics -- Getting philosophy from symmetry -- Further adventures in space and time -- Linking micro to macro -- Quantum philosophy -- On the edge : a snapshot of advanced topics.
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7What is philosophy of science?[Polity]. 2020.Philosophy, science, and history -- Logic and philosophy of science -- Demarcation and the scientific method -- The nature of scientific theories.
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6Information and Interaction: Eddington, Wheeler, and the Limits of Knowledge (edited book)Imprint: Springer. 2017.In this essay collection, leading physicists, philosophers, and historians attempt to fill the empty theoretical ground in the foundations of information and address the related question of the limits to our knowledge of the world. Over recent decades, our practical approach to information and its exploitation has radically outpaced our theoretical understanding - to such a degree that reflection on the foundations may seem futile. But it is exactly fields such as quantum information, which are …Read more
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5Christophe Bouton and Philippe Huneman: Time of Nature and the Nature of Time: Philosophical Perspectives of Time in Natural Sciences: Springer, Dordrecht, 2017, 403 pp, €123,00, ISBN: 978-3-319-53725-2 (review)Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 50 (1): 187-189. 2019.
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4Kit Fine, Modality and Tense: Philosophical Papers Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 26 (4): 250-252. 2006.
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4Robert C. Bishop, The Philosophy of the Social Sciences: An Introduction Reviewed by (review)Philosophy in Review 28 (3): 169-172. 2008.
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3From Babylon to Bitcoin: some philosophical reflections on the ontology of moneyRivista di Estetica 84 89-102. 2023.This (somewhat polemical) paper focuses on the ontological nature of money and draws comparisons to the ontological status of gauge freedom in physics. The parallels allow us to move beyond the social constructivist theories of Searle et al., and thereby avoid some pitfalls with such views. Since we have a reasonably good grasp of the ontological features in the physics context, we can pull back lessons from there onto the economic domain. In general, we find that this approach offers a nice len…Read more
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