Philosophical Foundations for Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Prediction. This exciting and innovative project aims to lay new foundations for contemporary philosophy of science. We shall use basic Minimum Message Length (MML) principles to vastly improve on current philosophical accounts of scientific inference and scientific prediction. We shall also use the theory to develop new and exciting answers to longstanding problems in philosophy of science concerning induction, projectabili ....Philosophical Foundations for Probabilistic Inference and Probabilistic Prediction. This exciting and innovative project aims to lay new foundations for contemporary philosophy of science. We shall use basic Minimum Message Length (MML) principles to vastly improve on current philosophical accounts of scientific inference and scientific prediction. We shall also use the theory to develop new and exciting answers to longstanding problems in philosophy of science concerning induction, projectability, private languages, determinism and intelligence. A theory based on MML principles will demonstrate the clear inadequacies of competing classical approaches, and will completely reshape the way in which philosophers think about Bayesian theories of inference.Read moreRead less
Neglected Problems of Time: Metaphysical and topological issues arising from the physics of time. Foundational philosophical research contributes to the global stock of understanding. Further, it secures and enhances Australia's international standing as a site of foundational research. Given the global nature of higher education, this enhancement of reputation serves to make Australia a more desirable destination for students (and, in this indirect way, makes a contribution to one of Australia' ....Neglected Problems of Time: Metaphysical and topological issues arising from the physics of time. Foundational philosophical research contributes to the global stock of understanding. Further, it secures and enhances Australia's international standing as a site of foundational research. Given the global nature of higher education, this enhancement of reputation serves to make Australia a more desirable destination for students (and, in this indirect way, makes a contribution to one of Australia's largest markets). More directly, foundational research enhances any community in which it takes place--the thirst for understanding is one of the distinctive characteristics of human beings, and support for the quest for understanding is an essential part of any well-functioning society.Read moreRead less
A History of Australasian Philosophy. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the history and present state of philosophy in Australia. In addition, the project will showcase the diverse and innovative contributions made by Australia's philosophers, thus bringing the current flourishing of Australian philosophy to the attention of the academic and wider community, both here and overseas. This, in turn, will strengthen Australia's standing as a leading player in the philoso ....A History of Australasian Philosophy. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the history and present state of philosophy in Australia. In addition, the project will showcase the diverse and innovative contributions made by Australia's philosophers, thus bringing the current flourishing of Australian philosophy to the attention of the academic and wider community, both here and overseas. This, in turn, will strengthen Australia's standing as a leading player in the philosophical world, and as an attractive destination for graduate students and distinguished visiting academics alike. Read moreRead less
George Eliot: Literature as Experimental Philosophy. This project aims to make significant and innovative contributions to research excellence in philosophy, history of ideas and literary studies. In addition it aims to provide a new conceptual framework and concepts necessary for constructive debate on current moral and social issues, many of which are complex legacies from Victorian thinkers, such as Eliot and her contemporaries. The overarching aim of rendering philosophy more inclusive and r ....George Eliot: Literature as Experimental Philosophy. This project aims to make significant and innovative contributions to research excellence in philosophy, history of ideas and literary studies. In addition it aims to provide a new conceptual framework and concepts necessary for constructive debate on current moral and social issues, many of which are complex legacies from Victorian thinkers, such as Eliot and her contemporaries. The overarching aim of rendering philosophy more inclusive and relevant is vital to the maintenance of a healthy, free and democratic public culture in contemporary Australia. Read moreRead less
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
Spacetime: its metaphysical type, its reality, its methodological role in philosophy. Australian philosophy has a high standing both among academic disciplines in this country and internationally. Studies in metaphysics are at its core. The tradition of excellent Australian work in the area of space and time, beginning with Samuel Alexanders's Space Time and Deity,1920, has lapsed somewhat and needs to be revitalised and extended in this century. This project builds on that tradition and extends ....Spacetime: its metaphysical type, its reality, its methodological role in philosophy. Australian philosophy has a high standing both among academic disciplines in this country and internationally. Studies in metaphysics are at its core. The tradition of excellent Australian work in the area of space and time, beginning with Samuel Alexanders's Space Time and Deity,1920, has lapsed somewhat and needs to be revitalised and extended in this century. This project builds on that tradition and extends it both in the direction of the philosophy of science of space and time, of pure metaphysics and its methodology.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
The social ontology of personhood: a recognition-theoretical approach. This project pursues the hypothesis that what distinguishes human persons from animals is a certain form of sociality consisting of 'attitudes of recognition'. Understanding the role of these attitudes in the coming about and flourishing of human persons and their communities is essential for fostering the social fabric of multicultural Australia.
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.
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