Research
My research is in the philosophy of physics and the history of analytic philosophy, particularly in philosophical issues that first came into focus between 1880 and 1920. This period encompassed both the emergence of modern logic and the transition from classical to modern physics. In philosophy of science my interests include accounts of geometrical representation before and after general relativity and interpretations of classical mechanics. In history of analytic philosophy my interests include contrasting conceptions of logical analysis, particularly the evolution of Wittgenstein’s conception of analysis.
My dissertation provides a novel interpretation of Heinrich Hertz’s major work, Principles of Mechanics, and argues that Hertz’s conception of analysis in Principles was a precedent for Wittgenstein’s conception of analysis in the Tractatus. This addresses an entrenched debate concerning whether the Tractatus includes an ontological theory. I argue that, despite certain appearances to the contrary, neither Hertz nor Wittgenstein was making any claims concerning underlying ontological structure. Rather, their goal was to display the significant content of ordinary descriptions (in classical mechanics and in natural language respectively).
The first chapter of my dissertation is published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics. The pre-print is available here. An abstract of my dissertation is included on my CV.
For details of further research projects, click on the boxes below.
My dissertation provides a novel interpretation of Heinrich Hertz’s major work, Principles of Mechanics, and argues that Hertz’s conception of analysis in Principles was a precedent for Wittgenstein’s conception of analysis in the Tractatus. This addresses an entrenched debate concerning whether the Tractatus includes an ontological theory. I argue that, despite certain appearances to the contrary, neither Hertz nor Wittgenstein was making any claims concerning underlying ontological structure. Rather, their goal was to display the significant content of ordinary descriptions (in classical mechanics and in natural language respectively).
The first chapter of my dissertation is published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics. The pre-print is available here. An abstract of my dissertation is included on my CV.
For details of further research projects, click on the boxes below.