By Tom De Saegher This blog post celebrates the 50th anniversary of the publication of a particular paper on the foundations of quantum mechanics by physicist and philosopher, John Stewart Bell. “On the Problem of Hidden Variables” was published in the July, 1966 issue of Reviews of Modern Physics. The main objective of this blog [...]
The McIntosh Gallery at Western University opens a new exhibition this evening titled, Portraits, self and others (it's complicated). A new portrait of Joseph Rotman, whose generous donation led to the creation of the Rotman Institute, will be included in the exhibition. From the McIntosh Gallery description of the exhibition: A highlight of the exhibition [...]
Last Friday, Andrew Light delivered the 2016 Rotman Lecture, titled, What Happened in Paris? How Differentiation Evolved to Create a Global Climate Agreement. Dr. Light is a professor at George Mason University, Director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute, and a former Senior Climate Change Adviser [...]
The start of the fall term is upon us, and we are very excited to introduce three new postdoctoral fellows who have joined the institute. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Justin Donhauser, Mackenzie Graham, and Marc Holman. Individual interviews offering further details on their backgrounds and research interests will be published [...]
By Justin Donhauser (Rotman Institute of Philosophy) At a conference of environmental ethicists some years ago, I somewhat nervously introduced myself to J. Baird Callicott—a central figure in environmental ethics and hero to many working in environmental philosophy and science. After some discussion about his work, and mine, and the future of environmental philosophy, Callicott [...]
We are very excited to announce two openings at the Rotman Institute of Philosophy -- a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Philosophy of Science, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Foundations of Physics. Please help us share the news of these opportunities! Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Philosophy of Science We are currently accepting [...]
While the institute has quieted down for the summer, our members have still been quite busy. For one Rotman member in particular, we have two very exciting announcements. Please join us in congratulating Justin Bzovy who just began a limited term appointment at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. In addition to his new position, [...]
Kaća Bradonjić, currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics at Hampshire College, describes herself as a theoretical physicist who "walk[s] the Möbius strip of science and art". She was recently featured on the Daily Nous for artwork she has created titled, Projections -- a series of drawings, sketches and paintings inspired by research talks she [...]
Dr. Mazviita Chirimuuta is an Assistant Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work examines the relationship between neuroscience and the philosophy of mind and perception. In recent years, her main project has been developing a theory of color that acknowledges the complexities of visual function revealed by [...]
Information-Theoretic Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics, the 20th annual UWO philosophy of physics conference, was held on June 11-12, 2016 at Western University. The workshop was inspired by Jeffrey Bub’s recently published book Bananaworld: Quantum Mechanics for Primates (Oxford University Press). The workshop brought together diverse views on issues raised by and related to Professor Bub’s [...]
