University of Pittsburgh · School
of Arts and Sciences
Department of
History and Philosophy of Science
Graduate Students
Marcus Adams
I am a first year student. I have a M.A. in Philosophy from Western Michigan
University. I have research interests in the history and philosophy of
biology, early modern science, philosophy of cognitive science/psychology
and general epistemology.
Holly Andersen
I'm in my sixth year at Pitt. My bachelor's (1999) was in physics from Montana State University; my master's (2001) in philosophy of science at the London School of Economics, for which my thesis received the Lakatos prize for best thesis on a philosophical subject.
My dissertation is on the causal structure of conscious agency. I examine the way implicit causal assumptions about features of agency and action affect the philosophical conclusions we reach from neuroscientific results, as well as provide a positive account of how to incorporate scientific experiments on various features of agency into philosophical frameworks of volition, without inadvertent causal fallacies or dualism (see the description on my webpage for more detail).
I’ve recently co-authored a paper with Rick Grush on the historical influences on the development of the specious present doctrine of James, and Husserl’s tripartite structure of the present. This includes the Scottish Common Sense philosophers, the true identity of ‘E.R.Clay’, and an interesting but little known philosopher named Shadworth Hodgson. In addition to this historical background, I am working forwards in time to James’ own evolving views on the specious present, and will in the future be working on the different ways in which subsequent philosophers have understood this doctrine. I am also interested in probability puzzles and paradoxes, physics and realism, and the use of introspection in the sciences.
Keith Bemer
I am a third year student participating in the Classics, Philosophy and Ancient Science program. My primary interests are in Aristotle's natural philosophy, but I have broad interests in ancient philosophy and the history of science (especially ancient medicine and the history of astronomy). I'm currently working on a paper on the "mixed" or "subalternate" sciences in Aristotle, focusing on discussions of optical phenomena in the Meteorology. I'm also interested in learning more about the relationship between the theoretical science of nature and the practical science of medicine in ancient thought. At some point I hope to do more research into Kepler's derivation of elliptical orbits in the New Astronomy, as well as his treatment of optical lens systems in the Dioptrice. In the area of philosophy of science, I'm currently working on a paper on Hacking's "entity realism" and its consequences for astronomy. Prior to coming to Pitt, I did my undergraduate work at St. John's College (MD).
Julia Bursten
I am a first-year student with primary interests in the philosophy and history of 20th-century physics, theories of spacetime, early modern natural philosophy generally, and G. W. Leibniz in particular. I also enjoy the histories of chemistry and of scientific institutions in the United States, as well as the free will debate, moral psychology and theories of mental representation. I completed my undergraduate coursework in philosophy at Rice University, where I worked closely with Drs. Mark Kulstad and Robert Bishop. There, under the guidance of Dr. Melinda Fagan, I wrote a thesis on the role of scientific and narrative rhetoric in Richard Dawkins' explanations of his selfish-gene theory.
In my free time, whenever I can find it, I like to climb rocks, ride horses, dance, listen to and play live music, and explore new destinations and activities. I would like to publish a story in Scientific American someday before I die.
Jason Byron
I work primarily on the philosophy of evolutionary biology, particularly speciation, systematics, and ecology. I am especially interested in explanation, pluralism, and the rhetoric of unification in those fields. I am also working on two historical projects: one on the history of 20th century philosophy of science in the United States and its engagements with biology, the other on the development of sexology during the interwar period in Germany and Britain.
Thomas Cunningham
I am a third year student in HPS. My background is in philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of science. This is a direct result of having received my B.A. from UC San Diego and the strengths and focuses there. I also graduated with a B.S and M.S. in biology, where my research focused on metabolism and molecular genetics in studies of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Since arriving in Pittsburgh, I have been most interested in philosophical issues in biological explanation. For a more personal look at me, check out my website/sporadically-updated blog: www.tvcunningham.com.
Peter Distelzweig
My research interests center on the history of late scholastic, renaissance and early modern natural philosophy. I am also interested in Aristotle, especially his natural philosophy and philosophy of mathematics.
Michelle Gibbons
I am a second year MA student, though I’ve been taking classes in the HPS department since I came to Pitt two years ago to begin my PhD in Communication. Before coming to Pittsburgh, I completed BAs in English and Cognitive Science at Vassar College and studied literature at the University of Notre Dame. My interests include the rhetoric of science and visual rhetoric, and much of my current research focuses on understanding how scientific images persuade.
Peter Gildenhuys
I came to Pitt from Northwestern University where I worked with David Hull and got a Masters in Philosophy. I mainly study selection theory, both from a historical and philosophical perspective. I am also interested in some traditional philosophical topics in epistemology and metaphysics, as well as the contrast between mechanical and non-mechanical modes of scientific explanation.
Benjamin Goldberg
I am a fourth year student in HPS. I got my BA in philosophy from Carleton College in 2004. Currently I am working on my prospectus, which is at the intersection of the history of philosophy and the history of biology in the early modern period (roughly 16th to 18th centuries). I am interested in understanding early modern theories of generation (e.g., William Harvey, Regnier de Graaf) and their relation to the Mechanical Philosophy and its new conception of matter. Further, I am interested in the epistemic and social status of theories of generation, that is, where they fit into the philosophical and epistemological schemes of early modern philosophers and scientists. I am also interested in issues in the history and philosophy of biology and medicine (especially the epistemology of biological experiments, e.g., the development of the fluctuation method by Luria and Delbrück in the 1940s), feminist philosophy of science (especially Helen Longino's work) and in historiography and historical methodology. I also like fluffy animals.
Joseph Goode
I am a first-year student with a BA in Biology and Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and BSN/MSN from the University of Pittsburgh. I am also a practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. My interests are in the history and philosophy of biology and medicine, with a particular interest in the history of anesthesia and perceptions of pain. I am also interested in man-machine interactions and the interaction of art and the 'collective iconography' on social movements and technologic change. My own research projects are related to the cardiopulmonary effects of mechanical ventilation (especially the role of High Frequency Jet Ventilation) and the application of Hierarchical Task Analysis to evaluation of the efficacy of Human Simulation Education methods.
Balázs Gyenis
I'm a fourth year student in the Ph.D. program. I spend most of my time with writing papers about supertasks, stochastic causality, modeling and explanation in mathematical economics and population genetics, the history of how the normal distribution entered to statistical physics, and the interaction between our number sense and moral decisions. My prospectus attempts to explore and evaluate the mathematical techniques with which mathematized sciences speak about the relationship between micro- and macro-level phenomena. I also try to finish up my MA in the Physics Department.
Eric Hatleback
This is my third year at the University of Pittsburgh. I received Bachelor's degrees in both mathematics and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin—Oshkosh and a Master's degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University. I am currently interested in experimental history of science, probability (especially the Sleeping Beauty problem), logic, history of astronomy, and Renaissance-era history of science.
Yoichi Ishida
I’m a first year student from Japan. I have a B.A. and an M.A. in philosophy from University of Nevada, Reno, where I worked with Tom Nickles. My current research interests include history and philosophy of biology (especially ecology and evolutionary biology), complex systems, mathematical modeling, and various strategies of problem solving and discovery in science. I’m also interested in early modern philosophy (especially Hume).
Emi Iwatani
I am a first year student with an M.A. in Philosophy from Boston University, an M. A. Ed. in Science Education from Wake Forest University, an Sc. B. in Biology from Brown University and am a former faculty member (biology and conceptual physics) of Boston Arts Academy. I am interested in the natures of science, art and philosophy as well as the nature of cognition and the nature of life. My favorite philosophers (so far) are Aristotle and Leibniz. Every so often I try to get out of my head by doing kendo and yoga.
William Lebing
I am a second year student primarily interested in Philosophy of Physics and History of Mathematics and mathematical sciences. My research has recently been centered on early ways of dealing with the infinite, specifically in Nicholas Cusanus, Huygens, Pascal, and Leibniz. I also like to rock climb and write music.
Jonathan Livengood
I like to think of myself as a methodologist. My main research interests are in causation, especially causal inference. I am also interested in scientific instrumentation, and I am proud to say that my thinking in this area has been informed by my study of the early history of chromatography. I have done some experimental philosophy (experimental psychology with a philosophical agenda), and I am very interested in debates about the role of intuitions in philosophy and elsewhere. I also enjoy reading and discussing the classical pragmatists, especially Peirce. In my spare time, I like to watch old episodes of Doctor Who, and my wife tells me that I am married to a brilliant woman of unappreciated genius, which is a plus.
Elizabeth O'Neill
I'm a first-year student, and I obtained my BA in History and Biology from Brown University. I'm interested in the history and philosophy of biology, especially evolution and its influence on behavior and morality.
Thomas Pashby
I'm a first year student coming with an MSci in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Bristol, where I became interested in relational interpretations of quantum mechanics and structuralism about science. I intend to continue working on interpretative questions in physics, while getting acquainted with the history of science, particularly the origins of quantum mechanics. I also hope to expand my interests somewhat!
Dennis Pozega
I am a fifth year student interested in scientific realism, in particular in agent-centered defenses of it, and modeling and simulation as tools of scientific knowledge production. I come from the University of Waterloo in Ontario where I completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering. There I picked up familiarity with, and enduring interest in, systems theory, both traditional and "complex," and the methods of cognitive psychology and cognitive science more generally.
Aleta Quinn
I'm a first year HPS student primarily focused on the philosophy of biology and environmental ethics. Specifically, I'm interested in philosophically examining conservation biology. I have a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in biology from the University of Maryland. I enjoy dancing, playing chess, and describing myself in short declarative sentences.
Bryan Roberts
My main interests are in the history and philosophy of physics, especially the foundations of spacetime and quantum theories. Recently, I have written about supertasks in Malament-Hogarth spacetimes, group theory in quantum mechanics, classical time machines, and the early history of gravitation and thermodynamics. I also have general interests in logic, metaphysics, and early analytic philosophy. You can speak to me in English, Spanish or French.
Jonah N. Schupbach
My primary areas of research include the general philosophy of science and epistemology - both formal and mainstream. I also have recent interests in experimental cognitive psychology. Most of my current research focuses on my dissertation topic: the epistemology and psychology of explanatory reasoning.
Elay Shech
I'm a second year graduate student from Israel interested mainly in the history and philosophy of physics, especially the philosophy of space and time, foundations of space-time theories, foundations of quantum theories, the arrow of time and experimental history of science. I received my BA degrees in Philosophy and in Physics from Boston University. I have written on Aristotle's notion of individuation, On the notion of time as change, Against particle interpretations of QM & for wave function ontology and Against 'Constructive' Relativity (a version of the Lorentzian interpretation of relativity put forward by Harvey Brown and Oliver Pooley). Most recently I have been conducting research on Coulomb's torsion balance and Galileo's inclined plane at the most excellent HPS lab, in addition to researching the Past Hypothesis. I also play in a rock band.
Catherine Stinson
I'm a third year graduate student. Before coming to Pitt, I did a BSc in Cognitive Science and an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Toronto, then spent a few years doing freelance web development and being a starving artist. My main philosophical interests are epistemological questions in psychology and neuroscience. Specific projects underway are a critique of 'cause' theories of attention, and an investigation of the relationship between evidence and theory in late 19th century neuroscience. Alongside HPS, I'm getting some practical experience poking and prodding brains at the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition.
Justin Sytsma
I am a sixth-year graduate student in HPS. I hold degrees in Neuroscience (2000) and Computer Science (2003; with a dual-major in Philosophy) from the University of Minnesota. My interests focus on issues in Philosophy of Mind, Psychology, and Neuroscience.
My dissertation is an examination and assessment of recent calls for a new science of consciousness. I aim to clearly articulate the central explanandum of the science (“phenomenal consciousness”); to investigate the arguments and evidence proffered for the existence of this phenomenon; and to critically asses its empirical prospects. Finally, I draw some implications from this for the related debates in philosophy of mind.
I have recently completed two papers with Edouard Machery on the folk theory of consciousness: “How to study Folk Intuitions about Phenomenal Consciousness” which is forthcoming in Philosophical Psychology and “Two Conceptions of Subjective Experience” which won the William James Prize at the 2008 Society for Philosophy and Psychology conference.
More information can be found at my Website: www.temptthefates.com. Or, visit my blog: My mind is made up!
Kathryn Tabb
I work on the history/philosophy of clinical psychology and psychiatry as well as evolutionary theory, especially Darwiniana. My past work has focused on the role of teleological argument in evolutionary theory from the early 19th century through to the contemporary Intelligent Design Movement. I am currently exploring Darwin's theories of mind during his "notebook period," and am beginning to research perspectives on mental illness from a variety of fields -- philosophy, medical anthropology, and cultural theory. Other interests include American pragmatism, medical ethics, and Wikipedia. I have a BA from the University of Chicago and a MPhil from the University of Cambridge, both in HPS.
Samuel Thomsen
I am a third-year graduate student with a B.S. in physics from Caltech. My main interests are in emergence, complexity, and the special sciences. Currently, I am investigating the possibility of characterizing emergence in terms of computational complexity.
Julie Zahle
I have a background in philosophy and cultural anthropology. My main interests are philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, and philosophy of mind. I am currently working on my dissertation, entitled "Practices of Social Interaction". The purpose of my dissertation is to defend and provide a detailed account of the view that in many characteristic situations of social interaction, competent practice participants are able directly to perceive whether an action is permissible, impermissible, or required.
Karen Zwier
I am a second-year graduate student from Chicago, Illinois. I have a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, I am researching Aristotle's induction and working on a theory of /epagoge/ as /episteme/. I am also interested in formal theories of causation, and, in particular, the defense of the Causal Markov Condition. Because of my background in computer engineering, I am always interested in philosophy topics that have to do with computation and information processing.