Faculty

Research Interests

I am mainly interested in how scientific method could possibly lead us to true generalizations about Nature; generalizations that extend infinitely beyond our current, finite perspective. Standard philosophy of science sidesteps this question by asking, instead, about the meanings of "justification" and "rationality" a different matter entirely. I put the former question front and center, so that methodological normativity must be traced back to truth-finding efficacy, rather than to sociological generalizations about scientific practice. In this respect, my approach to epistemology closely parallels work in theoretical computer science and the foundations of mathematics, in which the central question is existence of a reliable procedure for finding the right answer to a question. The shift in emphasis results in a fresh, new perspective on a number of standard issues in epistemology and the philosophy of science, such as:

• Ockham's razor and realism
• How rationality can impede the search for truth
• The logic of discovery
• Goodman's new riddle of induction
• Underdetermination and uncomputability
• A defense of infinite epistemic regress
• Belief revision
• Relativism and convergent realism
• Causal inference
• Distinguishing chaos from non-chaos
• Epistemic logic

I have significant side interests in the philosophy of religion and eastern philosophy.

Selected Publications

• The Logic of Reliable Inquiry, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
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• "Ockham’s Razor, Truth, and Information", in Handbook of the Philosophy of Information, J. van Behthem and P. Adriaans, eds., to appear.
• "Ockham’s Razor, Empirical Complexity, and Truth-finding Efficiency", Theoretical Computer Science, 383: 270-289, 2007.
• "Simplicity, Truth, and the Unending Game of Science", 2005, manuscript.
• "How Simplicity Helps You Find the Truth Without Pointing at it",in Philosophy of Mathematics and Induction, V. Harazinov, M. Friend, and N. Goethe, Dordrecht: Springer, 2007.
• "How to Do Things with an Infinite Regress",in Philosophy of Mathematics and Induction, V. Harazinov, M. Friend, and N. Goethe, Dordrecht: Springer, 2007.
• "Justification as Truth-finding Efficiency: How Ockham's Razor Works", Minds and Machines 14: 2004, pp. 485-505.
• "Uncomputability: The Problem of Induction Internalized," Theoretical Computer Science, pp. 317: 2004, 227-249.
• "Why Probability Does Not Capture the Logic of Scientific Justification", in Christopher Hitchcock, ed., Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Science, London: Blackwell, 2004.
• "Learning Theory and Epistemology",  in  Handbook of Epistemology, I. Niiniluoto, M. Sintonen, and J. Smolenski, eds.  Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2004.
• "The Logic of Success",  British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, special millennium issue, 51, 2001, 639-666.
• Reprinted in Philosophy of Science Today, P. Clark and K. Hawley eds., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
• "Efficient Convergence Implies Ockham's Razor", Proceedings of the 2002 International Workshop on Computational Models of Scientific Reasoning and Applications, Las Vegas, USA, June 24-27, 2002.
• "A Close Shave with Realism: Ockham's Razor Derived from Efficient Convergence",  completed manuscript.
• "Naturalism Logicized", in  After Popper, Kuhn and Feyerabend: Current Issues in Scientific Method, R. Nola and H. Sankey, eds, 34 Dordrecht: Kluwer, 2000, pp. 177-210.
• "Iterated Belief Revision, Reliability, and Inductive Amnesia," Erkenntnis, 50, 1998 pp. 11-58.
• "The Learning Power of Iterated Belief Revision", in  Proceedings of the Seventh TARK Conference Itzhak Gilboa, ed., 1998, pp. 111-125.
• "Iterated Belief Revision, Reliability, and Inductive Amnesia," Erkenntnis, 50, 1998 pp. 11-58.
• (with O. Schulte and V. Hendricks) "Reliable Belief Revision", in  Logic and Scientfic Methods, M. L. Dalla Chiara, et al., eds.  Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1997.
• (with O. Schulte and C. Juhl) "Learning Theory and the Philosophy of Science", Philosophy of Science 64: 1997, pp. 245-267.
• (with O. Schulte) "Church's Thesis and Hume's Problem," in  Logic and Scientific Methods, M. L. Dalla Chiara, et al., eds. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1997, pp. 383-398.
• (with O. Schulte) "The Computable Testability of Theories with Uncomputable Predictions",  Erkenntnis 43: 29-66, 1995, 29-66.

Courses

Undergraduate

• 80-105: Freshman Seminar on Mysticism
• 80-120: Reflections on Science
• 80-201: Epistemology
• 80-202: Metaphysics
• 80-210: Self-paced Introduction to Logic
• 80-220: Philosophy of Science
• 80-251: Ancient Philosophy
• 80-252: Medieval Philosophy
• 80-252: History of Modern Philosophy
• 80-265: Philosophy of Religion
• 80-310: Logic and Computability
• 80-311: Logic and Artificial Intelligence
• 80-311: Goedel and Undecidability
• 80-312: Probability and Artificial Intelligence

Graduate

• 80-812: Seminar on Formal Learning Theory
• 80-411/711: Computability and Learnibility
• 80-411/711: Descriptive Set Theory
• 80-518: Epistemology Seminar
• 80-602: Proseminar

Personal Interests

• Noriko
• New house in San Francisco
• Painting
• Sailing
• Wooden boat modelling
• Carpentry and furniture design
• Mountain climbing
• Cooking
• Japan

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