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John T. Roberts
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John Roberts is on leave in Cologne, Germany for the Spring Semester of 2012. Professor Thomas Hill will be serving as Director of Undergraduate Studies this semester. Director of Undergraduate Studies

John T. Roberts works in the intersection of metaphysics and philosophy of science.  His book The Law-Governed Universe was published in 2009 by Oxford University Press.  His published articles include:  "Fine Tuning and the Infra-Red Bullseye,"Philosophical Studies (forthcoming);  "Chance without Credence," British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (forthcoming); "Some Laws are Contingent," Australasian Journal of Philosophy (2010); "A Puzzle about Laws, Symmetries, and Measurable Quantities," British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2008); "Leibniz on Force and Absolute Motion," Philosophy of Science (2003); "Contact with the Nomic, Parts I and II" (co-authored with John Earman) Philosophy and Phenomenological Research (2005); and "Ceteris Paribus, There is No Problem of Provisos" (co-authored with John Earman), Synthese (1999).  He is currently working on the ravens paradox, the problem of induction, chance, probabilistic laws, and an a pragmatist approach to laws and counterfactuals.

 

My paper for the workshop "Laws and Chances" at the University of Cologne, March 5:

Laws About Frequencies?

 

My paper for the workshop "Dispositions, Causes, Modality" at the University of Cologne, March 7-9:

Normativism about Nomic Necessity, Counterfactuals, and Perhaps Dispositions

 

Forthcoming: 

Laws, Measurement and Counterfactuals.  Forthcoming in a volume edited by Stephen Mumford and Matthew Tugby.

Fine-Tuning and the Infrared Bull's Eye.   Forthcoming in Philosophical Studies.

Chance without Credence.  Forthcoming in British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.


 

Works in Progress:

 Laws About Frequencies. 

Concerning Reichenbach's Neglected Remarks on the Ravens Paradox

 

Book:

The Law-Governed Universe (Oxford University Press, 2009) at Google Books

Or, you could BUY IT at:

     OUP

     Amazon

     Barnes and Noble

A Precis (Ha!)  of The Law-Governed Universe.  (This is a 42-page summary of the main argument of the book.)


Some Published Articles:

Some Laws of Nature are Metaphysically Contingent.   Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 88(3):  445-457, 2010.

A Puzzle about  Laws, Symmetries, and Measurable Quantities.  British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 59: 143-168, 2008.

Contact with the Nomic:  A Challenge for Deniers of Humean Supervenience about Laws of Nature, Part I:  Humean Supervenience (with John Earman).  Philosophy and Phenomenologial Research 71(1): 1-22, 2005.

Contact with the Nomic:  A Challenge for Deniers of Humean Supervenience about Laws of Nature, Part II:  The Epistemological Argument for Humean Supervenience (with John Earman).  Philosophy and Phenomenologial Research 71(2): 253-286, 2005.

Measurability and Physical Laws.  Synthese 144(3): 433-447, 2005.

Leibniz on Force and Absolute Motion, Philosophy of Science 70:553-573, 2003.

Ceteris Paribus Lost (With John Earman and Sheldon Smith). Erkenntnis 57(3): 281-301, 2002.

Ceteris Paribus, There is No Problem of Provisos (with John Earman).  Synthese 118: 439-478, 1999.

Lewis, Carroll, and Seeing Through the Looking Glass.  Australasian Journal of Philosophy  76(3): 426-438, 1998.

 

Some Unpublished Papers:

The Semantic Novelty of Theoretical Terms

Coping with Severe Test Anxiety:  Problems and Prospects for an Error-Statistical Philosophy of Science.

 

Complete CV:

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