History of Philosophy of Science
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Colin Howson: Should Probabilities be Countably Additive?
ABSTRACT Though it may not sound like a very exciting question, a good deal of both the mathematics and the interpretation of probability depend on the answer to it. Many of the striking theorems of mathematical probability, like the celebrated 'with probability 1' convergence theorems, depend on the axiom of countable additivity, as does the [...]
Andrew Janiak: Three Concepts of Cause in Newton’s Thought
ABSTRACT Dr. Andrew Janiak, of Duke University, examines how Newton’s assertion that objects spread across space can interact causally is related to his endorsement of the traditional metaphysical concepts of substance and of causation. Download a copy of the lecture handout. SPEAKER PROFILE Andrew Janiak has been a Professor at Duke University since 2002. He [...]
Stephen Gaukroger: Sensibility and Metaphysics: Diderot, Hume, Baumgarten and Herder
ABSTRACT In the 1760s, Herder sets out a program for replacing metaphysical inquiry into the nature of thought with an anthropological account of the nature of thought. To understand the novelty and significance of Herder’s project, Gaukroger places Herder’s philosophical anthropology in the context of his contemporaries, Diderot, Hume and Baumgarten. SPEAKER PROFILE Stephen Gaukroger [...]