James
Robert Brown
Department
of Philosophy
University
of Toronto
Toronto
M5R 2M8
Canada
<Philosophy Department Home Page>
_________________________________________________________
Courses (2013-14)
·
PHL 346 F Philosophy of Mathematics (Wednesdays 6:30 – 9 pm)
·
PHL 2196 F (Grad) Thought Experiments (Thursdays 9:30 – 12:00)
·
VIC 173 Y Philosophy
of Science for Physical Scientists (Wednesdays 1 – 3 pm)
·
PHL 356 S Philosophy of Physics (Thursdays 9:30 – 12:00)
·
PHL 355 S Philosophy of Science (Thursdays 9:30 –
12:00)
Books
·
The Rational and the Social (Routledge 1989)
·
New edition The Laboratory of the
Mind: Thought Experiments in the Natural Sciences
(Routledge
1991, second edition 2010) <NOTES>
·
Smoke and Mirrors: How Science Reflects
Reality (Routledge
1994) <NOTES>
·
Philosophy of Mathematics: An
Introduction to the World of Proofs and Pictures (Routledge 1999, second edition 2008) <NOTES>
·
Who Rules in Science? An Opinionated
Guide to the Wars (Harvard
2001) <LINK to HUP> , <NOTES>
·
New Platonism, Naturalism, and Mathematical
Knowledge (Routledge 2012) LINK
to Amazon
·
New
Philosophy of Science: The Key Thinkers
(edited) (Continuum 2012) LINK
to Amazon
·
New Thought Experiments in Philosophy,
Science, and the Arts (ed. with M. Frappier and L. Meynell ) (Routledge 2012)
LINK
to Amazon
Forthcoming Books
·
Seismology: Bringing Idealization Down to Earth (with Michael Slawinski) (World Scientific
2013)
·
Subtle Matter
(Oxford 2014)
·
Philosophy of Science (Plenum
2013)
Interests & Projects
·
Philosophy
of Science (including thought experiments, scientific realism, methodology, the
relation of modern science to traditional and indigenous knowledge)
·
Philosophy
of Mathematics (including Platonism, naturalism, nature of applied mathematics,
diagrams and visual reasoning)
·
Foundations
of Physics (space & time, quantum mechanics, the nature of symmetry)
·
Social
Relations of Science (including social constructivism and objectivity, science
and religion, the effects of commercialization on research, science and politics)
Activities
·
Co-Director
(1985 - ) of the Annual
Philosophy of Science Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia <Poster>
·
Editor
(1996 - 2001) of the journal, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science <ISPS>
·
Co-Editor
(1990 - 2000) of the book series, Toronto Studies in Philosophy <TSP>
·
Associate
Editor (2005 - 08 ) Episteme (A journal of social epistemology) <Episteme>
Articles & Audio/Video Lectures on the Internet
·
“Privatizing the
University - The New Tragedy of the Commons” (Science) <connect>
·
“Thought Experiments” (Stanford
Encyclopaedia of Philosophy) <connect>
·
Video:
“Proofs and Pictures” (Perimeter Institute) <connect>
·
Video:
“Thought Experiments” (Perimeter Institute) <connect>
·
Audio:
“Why Einstein Matters” Panel discussion on Quirks & Quarks CBC
Radio <connect>
·
Video:
Debates on TVO (1) Science
and Religion, (2) Assault
on Science