I have (some) competence in two areas of analytic philosophy. One area is contemporary philosophy of science, broadly understood. I work in philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of physics, and very often address issues at their boundary. I also venture into metaphysics and epistemology (especially when they are scientifically relevant), philosophy of logic and history of science and mathematics. Another area in which I have longstanding interests is the history of analytic philosophy: I study the views of Quine, Frege and especially later Wittgenstein. I am involved in the activities of the Wittgenstein Archives Bergen and a co-editor of the open access journal Nordic Wittgenstein Review. (More details on my personal webpage)

I'm currently in charge of the Research Group in Philosophy of Science and Mathematics.

Grants/Awards (selection)

• Research grant awarded in Dec. 2018 by Research Council of Norway (RCN) for Aug. 2019 - Aug. 2024. Budget ca. 15 mil. NOK, out of which ca. 10 mil from RCN (1.1 mil. €) Title: Mathematics with a Human Face. Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework. Collaborator K. Cahill (Univ. of Bergen)
• Visiting Fellow at Wadham College, Univ. of Oxford for Trinity Term 2022 (21 April - 18 June)
• Visiting Fellowship at Institute Vienna Circle (14 Nov. - 14 Dec. 2022)

Talks (selection of recent invited presentations)

• TBA. Keynote at Wittgenstein Seminar, Rome Tor Vergata Univ., 23 June 2026.

• TBA. Keynote talk at Model-Based Reasoning Conference: Epistemology, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science. Rome 17-19 June 2026.

• TBA. Talk at the Logic and Phil of Science Research group, Dept. of Philosophy, Univ. of Toronto. 13 March 2026.

• Can there be mathematical knowledge without proof? Conference Truth and Meaning in Mathematics, Reykjavik, Univ. of Iceland, 25-27 June 2025

• Wittgenstein on Cantor's Diagonal Proof. At Paris-Chicago Joint Conference in the Philosophy of Logic and Mathematics 13 June 2025. Paris.

• Wittgenstein on the Infinite and Cantor's Diagonal Proof. Invited talk at UNED Univ. Madrid, 4 March 2025.
• Wittgenstein on assimilationism, scientism and mathematics. Key-note speaker at 1^st Conference of the Young Network for Wittgensteinean Philosophy. October 2024, Universitat de les Illes Balears.
• mrc2024: Models, Representation, and Computation Conference Paris, 15 June 2024.
• Boston University, Philosophy and mathematics conference. Organized by Juliet Floyd. 22 April 2024.
• Institute Vienna Circle, Univ. of Vienna. Organizer Georg Schiemer. April 2024
• Mathematics in Physics Conference, Univ. of Oslo. Organizer Øystein Linnebo. June 2023.
• Key-note speaker at Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Mathematical Practice, workshop in Brussels, March 2023.
• Morrison Memorial Philosophy of Science Conference, Univ. of Toronto, Nov. 2022.
• Two dualisms in later Wittgenstein's writings on mathematics Philosophy of mathematics seminar, Oxford Univ. 3 May 2021
• Formalist explanations in physics Ernst Mach Workshop IX: Non-causal explanations in physics Prague, Sept. 2020 (keynote)
• Fictions in scientific explanation. Southern California Philosophy of Physics Group UC Irvine LPS 27 April 2019
• Later Wittgenstein on mathematical necessity. Wittgenstein in the 21st Century Conf. UC Berkeley 6 April 2019 video
• Getting real about words and numbers Workshop, Antwerp. 29-31 Oct. 2018 (keynote)

Professional service (selection)

• Organizer of Annual Bergen Philosophy of Science Workshop 2013-present
• Program committee member British Society for the Philosophy of Science Annual Meeting Kent. Univ. July 2020
• Co-organizer (with K. Cahill) of Wittgenstein: Naturalism and Necessity Univ. of Bergen 21-22 Nov. 2019 Video
• Program committee member European Philosophy of Science Association Meeting, Univ. of Exeter Sept. 2017
• Program committee member Explanation Beyond Causation, LMU Munich (MCMP) 23-24 October 2014

Administrative academic work

• MA studies coordinator Dept. of Phil. 2020
• Co-representative in the Philosophy PhD Network including Univ. of Uppsala, Bologna, Bucharest, Helsinki and Bielefeld
• External reviewer for US National Science Foundation (NSF) grants 2018

Professional organizations

• Editorial Board Nordic Wittgenstein Studies (Springer)
• Editor of Phil Papers Philosophy of Mathematics, Misc. (section including Applicability of Mathematics, Mathematical Practice, Mathematical Explanation)

For teaching materials see mitt uib

Postdoctoral supervision:

• Jeffrey Schatz (PhD Univ. of Calif. Irvine 2019) Co-supervision with Kevin Cahill in the project Mathematics with a Human Face: Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework. Aug. 2020-Aug. 2023.

PhD students:

• Nicola Gianola (Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mathematics) Co-supervision with Gabriele Pulcini, Univ. Rome Tor Vergata. (Ongoing)
• Martin Sætre (Wittgenstein’s Philosophy of Mathematics) Co-supervision with Kevin Cahill in the project Mathematics with a Human Face: Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework. Defense Fall 2023.
• Ragnhild Jordahl (Metaphysics, Necessity, Laws of Nature. Defended 23 April 2020) Co-supervision with Ole Hjortland
• Mark Young (Hist. and Phil. of Science. Defended 26 April 2019)

MA students:

• Birger Aardalsbakke (Neural networks & epistemology of AI; ongoing)
• Olav Sem (Against free will. Fall 2023)
• Luca Caiti (Skepticism and IBE. Fall 2022-Spring 2023)
• Steffen Haakonsen (Scientific Realism. 2017)
• Carl-Fredrik Bassøe (Causation and Digraphs. 2016) Co-supervision with Uwe Wolter, Comp. Science Dept.
• Sindre Søderstrøm (The Normative force of Logic. 2016) Co-supervision with Ole Hjortland

Recent courses

• Introduction to Theoretical Philosophy FIL 125 (undergraduate)
• Philosophy of Science FIL 219/319 (und. & grad.)
• Graduate proseminar FIL 342 (grad.)
• Metaphysics FIL 220/320 (und. & grad.)
• Epistemology FIL 237/337 (und. & grad.)

For Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Univ. of Bergen:

• Science in Today's World MNF 201
• Examenum Philosophicum Seminars

Before coming to Univ. of Bergen I taught at Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2010-2012), Univ. of Cambridge (2008-2010), Univ. of Western Ontario (2007) and Univ. of Toronto (2005-2006). For more information see my personal webpage.

(Complete list and downloadable versions are posted on my personal webpage)

Recent books:

• Philosophy of Mathematics After Wittgenstein. Cambridge Univ. Press
  • In production, out in June 2026. Monograph. Ca. 300 p. Table of contents
  • Publisher website
• Naturalizing Logico-Mathematical Knowledge: Approaches from Philosophy, Psychology and Cognitive Science. Routledge, 2018
  • Edited collection of essays, 306 p.
  • Publisher presentation and table of contents
  • Reviews: Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, Philosophical Quarterly

Recent journal special issues:

• Models, Representation, and Computation. Synthese. In preparation (2026?). Topic collection. Co-edited w/ Cyrille Imbert and Vincent Ardourel.
• The Explanatory and Heuristic Power of Mathematics. Synthese, 2023. Topical collection. Co-editors: Marianna Antonutti-Marfori and Emiliano Ippoliti.

Recent papers 

In journals:

• (w/ Jeffrey Schatz) Wittgenstein on Cantor's Proof. Synthese. Vol. 206, article 130 (2025) open access

• Wittgenstein on Proof and Concept-Formation. Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 75, 1: 1–20 (2025) open access

• A Note on “Philosophical Investigations into AI Alignment: A Wittgensteinean Framework” by J.A. Perez-Escobar and D. Sarikaya. Philosophy and Technology. Vol. 37, art. 96 (2024) (invited, refereed)

• Mind the gap: Noncausal Explanations of Dual Properties. Philosophical Studies. Vol. 181, pp. 789–809 (2024) open access
• (w/ Vincent Ardourel) Finite-Size Scaling Theory: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Critical Phenomena. Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science 100: 99-106 (2023). link
• Mathematical Explanations of Physical Phenomena. Australasian Journal of Philosophy 99.4: 669–82 (2021) link
• The Appearance of Skepticism: Possibility, Conceivability and Infinite Ascent. Canadian Journal of Philosophy 51:2, 94-107 (2021) open access
• Hard and Blind: On Wittgenstein’s Genealogical View of Logical Necessity. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 102(2): 439-458 (2021) open access

In collections:

• Title TBD. Essay in Blackwell Companion to the Philosophy of Mathematics. Ed. by A. C. Paseau. Invited, forthcoming.
• On the Grammar of Mathematical Propositions. In Contributions/Beiträge to International Wittgenstein Symposium 2023: 100 Years of Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus — 70 Years after Wittgenstein’s Death. A Critical Assessment 6. - 12. Aug 2023. Pp. 29-37. (2023) Eds. A. Pichler; E. Heinrich-Ramharter; F. Stadler. Kirchberg am Wechsel [OA]
• Factivism in Historical Perspective. Understanding the Gravitational Deflection of Light. Ch. 6 (pp. 62-77) in Scientific Understanding and Representation: Mathematical Modeling in the Life and Physical Sciences. Eds. I. Lawler, K. Khalifa, E. Shech. Routledge, 2022. link
• Phase Transitions. Chapter 36 in The Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Physics. Edited by Eleanor Knox and Alastair Wilson. Pp. 512-523. Routledge (2021) link

Recent book reviews, symposium contributions

• The Comeback of Natural Philosophy. Essay review of Penelope Maddy Natural Philosophy and Other Essays (Oxford Univ Press, 2022) Philosophy of Science. Forthcoming.
• [Critical notice; w/ J. Schatz] Juliet Floyd Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Mathematics (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2021) (Cambridge Elements in Philosophy of Mathematics). In Philosophia Mathematica 30(1): 103-110 (2022).
• Marc Lange Because Without Cause (Oxford Univ. Press, 2017) British Journal for Philosophy of Science. BJPS Review of Books. (2017) link

• Research grant FRIPRO-FRIHUMSAM awarded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) in Dec. 2018. Title: Mathematics with a Human Face. Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework, period 2019-2024. Budget ca. 15 mil. NOK, out of which ca. 10 mil from RCN (1.1 mil. €) from RCN. Collaborator Kevin Cahill (Univ. of Bergen)
• Annual Bergen Philosophy of Science Workshop (BPSW)