Metaphysics of Science Metaphysics of Science is the philosophical study of key concepts that figure prominently in science and that, prima facie, stand in need of clarification. It is also concerned with the phenomena that correspond to these concepts. Exemplary topics within Metaphysics of Science include laws of nature, causation, disposizioni, natural kinds, possibility and necessity, spiegazione, reduction, emergence, grounding, and space and time. Metafisica

Social and Political Recognition Acts of recognition infuse many aspects of our lives such as receiving a round of applause from a rapt audience, being spotted in a crowded street by a long-forgotten friend, having an application for a job rejected because of your criminal record, enjoying some words of praise by a respected philosophy professor, getting pulled over by the police because you are

Future Contingents The riddle of the future bewilders human beings. Da un lato, siamo propensi a pensare che gli eventi futuri siano reali in un certo senso, perché poniamo domande e facciamo asserzioni al riguardo. D'altra parte, siamo propensi a pensare che gli eventi futuri possano dipendere dalle nostre scelte, perché concepiamo noi stessi come agenti liberi. These two inclinations seem

Willard Van Orman Quine: Philosophy of Science W. V. O. Quine (1908-2000) did not conceive of philosophy as an activity separate from the general province of empirical science. His interest in science is not best described as a philosophy of science but as a set of reflections on the nature of science that is pursued with the same empirical spirit that animates scientific inquiry. Quine’s

Wang Yangming (1472—1529) Wang Yangming, also known as Wang Shouren (Wang Shou-jen), is one of the most influential philosophers in the Confucian tradition. He is best known for his theory of the unity of knowledge and action. A capable and principled administrator and military official, he was exiled from 1507 to 1510 for his protest against political corruption. Although he studied the thought of Zhu

Constructive Mathematics Constructive mathematics is positively characterized by the requirement that proof be algorithmic. In parole povere, this means that when a (mathematical) object is asserted to exist, an explicit example is given: a constructive existence proof demonstrates the existence of a mathematical object by outlining a method of finding (“constructing”) such an object. The emphasis in constructive theory is placed on hands-on provability, invece di