A unified theory of the individual - a central problem in analytical philosophy. This project will further increase Australia's already high profile in analytic philosophy. This will foster an intellectual environment within Australia that will attract highly skilled overseas academics who bring knowledge and funding to Australia, benefiting both Australian researchers and students. This will in turn attract overseas fee-paying students who bring economic and cultural benefits to Australia.
The Structure of Spacetime. This project, is part of a career long program of Critical Scientific Realism, which asserts that the sciences are a valuable guide to the truth, but rejects a ?fundamentalist? attitude towards them as if they were self-interpreting.
This project will make major contributions to our understanding of:
The properties and relations constitutive of Spacetime
Minimal Convexity Theory
Quantum theory and absolute Simultaneity
Stephen Wolfram and Discrete Geomet ....The Structure of Spacetime. This project, is part of a career long program of Critical Scientific Realism, which asserts that the sciences are a valuable guide to the truth, but rejects a ?fundamentalist? attitude towards them as if they were self-interpreting.
This project will make major contributions to our understanding of:
The properties and relations constitutive of Spacetime
Minimal Convexity Theory
Quantum theory and absolute Simultaneity
Stephen Wolfram and Discrete Geometrodynamics
Ways of approximating the discrete by the continuous
The resulting advances in knowledge will be presented in journal articles and a book integrating my work on Space and Time.Read moreRead less
Time and Perspective in the Quantum World. The project deals with topics which, since the early days of quantum theory in the 1920s and 1930s, have generated wide interest among general readers. It is investigating questions to which many Australians, as well as a great many more people internationally, would like to know the answers. It brings to Australia two distinguished young international researchers, thus substantially enhancing Australia's skill base and international reputation in these ....Time and Perspective in the Quantum World. The project deals with topics which, since the early days of quantum theory in the 1920s and 1930s, have generated wide interest among general readers. It is investigating questions to which many Australians, as well as a great many more people internationally, would like to know the answers. It brings to Australia two distinguished young international researchers, thus substantially enhancing Australia's skill base and international reputation in these fundamental fields. The project's core research team will also act as a catalyst for further international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Fundamental Ways the World Could Be: Challenging Metaphysical Orthodoxy. This project strengthens Australia's fine reputation in metaphysics through disseminating cutting-edge research. It will build relationships with leading researchers and bring their knowledge to Australia, fostering an intellectual environment that strengthens Australia as a destination for tertiary study and international researchers. It will offer explicit training in research skills and provide wide-ranging knowledge for ....Fundamental Ways the World Could Be: Challenging Metaphysical Orthodoxy. This project strengthens Australia's fine reputation in metaphysics through disseminating cutting-edge research. It will build relationships with leading researchers and bring their knowledge to Australia, fostering an intellectual environment that strengthens Australia as a destination for tertiary study and international researchers. It will offer explicit training in research skills and provide wide-ranging knowledge for a postgraduate student. In clarifying and answering key fundamental metaphysical questions that have wide ramifications, it will provide a sound basis and the conceptual resources for both ethicists, philosophers of science and scientists to theorise about us as agents in the world, and about the nature of our world.Read moreRead less
Time-asymmetry and the Bohmian view of the quantum world. Australia is among the world leaders in research on decoherence and time asymmetry. This research will make significant and innovative contributions to a unified understanding of these two areas by determining their connections and mutual implications. It will thus play an important role in further expanding Australia's role in fundamental research on the boundary between philosophy and physics. Results from this research will also be rel ....Time-asymmetry and the Bohmian view of the quantum world. Australia is among the world leaders in research on decoherence and time asymmetry. This research will make significant and innovative contributions to a unified understanding of these two areas by determining their connections and mutual implications. It will thus play an important role in further expanding Australia's role in fundamental research on the boundary between philosophy and physics. Results from this research will also be relevant to the theoretical and conceptual basis of next-generation quantum technologies.
Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,416.00
Summary
Understanding Philosophical Progress. This project aims to develop the first unified account of progress in science and philosophy, by extending the noetic account of scientific progress into an account of philosophical progress. According to this account, progress consists in increased understanding, i.e., in grasping how something depends on, or fails to depend on, something else. Developing a unified account will shed light on the nature of intellectual progress quite generally, as well subst ....Understanding Philosophical Progress. This project aims to develop the first unified account of progress in science and philosophy, by extending the noetic account of scientific progress into an account of philosophical progress. According to this account, progress consists in increased understanding, i.e., in grasping how something depends on, or fails to depend on, something else. Developing a unified account will shed light on the nature of intellectual progress quite generally, as well substantially advancing meta-philosophical debates about (i) the prevalence of philosophical progress; (ii) whether, and the ways in which, expert disagreement would undermine progress; and (iii) which philosophical methodologies promote progress.Read moreRead less
A life in time. This project aims to explore the connection between theories of time and timelessness in metaphysics and physics, and our lived experience as agents. The story of our lives is one that unfolds through time; ever changing and updating as we add to the store of memories through which we understand our past selves, and our store of intentions, through which we shape our future selves. Yet there is disagreement about the nature of time: about what time is and whether, in fact, it rea ....A life in time. This project aims to explore the connection between theories of time and timelessness in metaphysics and physics, and our lived experience as agents. The story of our lives is one that unfolds through time; ever changing and updating as we add to the store of memories through which we understand our past selves, and our store of intentions, through which we shape our future selves. Yet there is disagreement about the nature of time: about what time is and whether, in fact, it really exists at all. The project will look to determine what structure the temporal dimension must have if it is to support agents like us, and whether, if there is no temporal dimension, as some physicists suggest, we can make any sense of our lived experience.Read moreRead less
The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project ....The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project will investigate the various conceptions of naturalism, looking at both their motivations and their implications for philosophy and scientific and mathematical methodology.Read moreRead less
Rationality and Resource Bounds in Logics for Intentional Attitudes. Formal philosophy is the discipline at the interface between traditional philosophy and modern mathematical logic. It has had a substantial impact in recent years and has benefited neighbouring disciplines, including computer science and artificial intelligence. It is a good example of how philosophical research can interact with more practical disciplines. This project will make substantial contributions to formal philosophy, ....Rationality and Resource Bounds in Logics for Intentional Attitudes. Formal philosophy is the discipline at the interface between traditional philosophy and modern mathematical logic. It has had a substantial impact in recent years and has benefited neighbouring disciplines, including computer science and artificial intelligence. It is a good example of how philosophical research can interact with more practical disciplines. This project will make substantial contributions to formal philosophy, which will in turn provide benefits in computer science and artificial intelligence, by providing a framework for logicians, computer scientists and researchers in artificial intelligence to discuss issues concerning knowledge, belief and rationality.Read moreRead less
A Practical Theory of Factual Information: Fundamentals and Applications in Philosophy and Physics. The project will provide answers to questions of fundamental significance to all Australians. By developing a new philosophical theory of factual information, it will yield new insights into one of the basic things that makes us human. By applying the new theory to central contemporary problems in philosophy and physics, it will provide a new understanding of the role and significance of causal re ....A Practical Theory of Factual Information: Fundamentals and Applications in Philosophy and Physics. The project will provide answers to questions of fundamental significance to all Australians. By developing a new philosophical theory of factual information, it will yield new insights into one of the basic things that makes us human. By applying the new theory to central contemporary problems in philosophy and physics, it will provide a new understanding of the role and significance of causal reasoning, and of the nature of the quantum world. The project will add greatly to the growth of Australia's research capital, attracting some of the world's best young researchers and students to work and study in this country, and adding further to Australia's international prominence, in a field in which we are already very strong.Read moreRead less