James Robert Brown

Department of Philosophy

University of Toronto

Toronto M5R 2M8

Canada

 

jrbrown@chass.utoronto.ca

<Philosophy Department Home Page>

 

 

 

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Courses (2009-10)

·      HUM 199 Y Science, Religion, and Society (Wednesday, 7 – 9 pm)

·      PHL 2196 F  (Grad)  Space & Time  (Wednesdays 12:30 – 3 pm)

·      PHL 355 S Philosophy of Science  (Wednesday 12:30 – 3 pm)

 

Books

·      The Rational and the Social (Routledge 1989)

·      The Laboratory of the Mind: Thought Experiments in the Natural Sciences (Routledge 1991) <NOTES>  New edition soon.

·      Smoke and Mirrors: How Science Reflects Reality (Routledge 1994) <NOTES>

·      Philosophy of Mathematics: An Introduction to the World of Proofs and Pictures (Routledge 1999, second edition 2008) <NOTES>    New edition now available.

·      Who Rules in Science? An Opinionated Guide to the Wars (Harvard 2001) <LINK to HUP> , <NOTES>

 

Forthcoming

·      Platonism, Naturalism, and Mathematical Knowledge (Routledge 2011)

·      Philosophy of Science: The Key Thinkers (edited) (Continuum 2010)

·      Laboratory of the Mind, (new edition 2010)

 

Interests & Projects 

·      Philosophy of Science (including thought experiments, scientific realism, methodology, the relation of modern science to traditional and indigenous knowledge)

·      Philosophy of Mathematics (including Platonism, naturalism, nature of applied mathematics, diagrams and visual reasoning)

·      Foundations of Physics (space & time, quantum mechanics, the nature of symmetry)

·      Social Relations of Science (including social constructivism and objectivity, science and religion, the effects of commercialization on research, science and politics)

 

Activities

·      Co-Director (1985 - ) of the Annual Philosophy of Science Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia <Poster>

·      Editor (1996 - 2001) of the journal, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science <ISPS>

·      Co-Editor (1990 - 2000) of the book series, Toronto Studies in Philosophy <TSP>

·      Associate Editor (2005 - 08 ) Episteme (A journal of social epistemology) <Episteme>

 

Articles & Audio/Video Lectures on the Internet

·      Privatizing the University - The New Tragedy of the Commons” (Science) <connect>

·      Thought Experiments” (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy) <connect>

·      Video: “Proofs and Pictures” (Perimeter Institute) <connect>

·      Video: “Thought Experiments” (Perimeter Institute) <connect>

·      Audio: “Why Einstein Matters” Panel discussion on Quirks & Quarks CBC Radio <connect>

·      Video: Debates on TVO (1) Science and Religion, (2) Assault on Science