Jeg er professor ved FoF. Før underviste jeg ved Univ. of Illinois og Univ. of Cambridge. Jeg fikk min doktorgrad fra Univ. of Toronto i 2006; før studerte jeg matematikk og filosofi i Bukarest. Jeg har (noe) kompetanse i moderne vitenskapsteori. En god del av min forskning ligger i skjæringspunktet mellom matematikkens filosofi og fysikkens filosofi. I den siste tiden har jeg fattet interesse for å undersøke den filosofiske relevansen av psykologisk forskning på matematisk kognisjon. Jeg er også interessert i den analytiske filosofiens historie og sentrale filosofer i denne historien, særlig Wittgenstein og Quine. (Flere detaljer på min personal webpage)

For tiden er jeg ansvarlig for forskningsgruppe vitenskapsfilosofi.

Forskningsmidler/Priser (seleksjon)

• Forskningsprosjekt FRIPRO-FRIHUMSAM. Co-PI Kevin Cahill (Univ. of Bergen). Norges Forskningsråd (NFR) har tildelt midlene i des. 2018. Budget ca. 15 mil. NOK, NFRs bidrag ca. 10 mil. NOK. Titel: Matematikk med et menneskelig ansikt: Et naturalistisk og wittgensteinansk rammeverk for mengdeteori 2019 - 2024
• Visiting Fellow at Wadham College, Univ. of Oxford for Trinity Term 2022 (21 April - 18June)
• Visiting Fellowship at Institute Vienna Circle (14 Nov. - 14 Dec. 2022)

Innlegg (seleksjon)

• TBA. Keynote 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. Organizer 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)

Aktiviteter (seleksjon)

Konferanser

• Organizer 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

Administrasjon

• 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

Andre

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

For mine kurs se mitt uib

Postdoktor:

• Jeffrey Schatz (PhD Univ. of Calif. Irvine 2019) Fra August 2020. Co-veiledning med Kevin Cahill i forskningsprosjekt Mathematics with a Human Face: Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework. Aug. 2020-Juli 2023.

PhD kandidater:

• 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 studenter:

• 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

Nylige kurs

• Introduksjon til Theoretisk Filosofi FIL 125 (undergraduate)
• Vitenskapfilosofi FIL 219/319 (und. & grad.)
• Prosjekt og methode FIL 342 (grad.)
• Metafysikk FIL 220/320 (und. & grad.)
• Epistemologi FIL 247/347 (und. & grad.)

For MN Fakultet, Univ. i Bergen:

• Vitenskap i vår tid MNF 201
• Examenum Philosophicum Seminarer

I fortiden underviste jeg ved Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2010-2012), Univ. of Cambridge (2008-2010), Univ. of Western Ontario (2007) og Univ. of Toronto (2005-2006). Info om det på min personal webpage.

BØKER

• Philosophy of Mathematics After Wittgenstein. Cambridge Univ. Press
  • Ca. 250 p. Monograph. In production, out in June 2026. Table of contents
  • Publisher website
• Naturalizing Logico-Mathematical Knowledge: Approaches from Philosophy, Psychology and Cognitive Science. Routledge, 2018
  • 306 p. Edited collection of essays. Publisher presentation and table of contents
  • Reviews: Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, Philosophical Quarterly
• Filosofi for Realister. Redigert sammen med Kevin Cahill. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2017
  • 342 p. Tekstamling.
• The Applicability of Mathematics in Science: Indispensability and Ontology. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012
  • 250 p. Monograph. Commissioned for the series New Directions in the Philosophy of Science
  • Table of contents and Introduction
  • Reviews: Philosophia Mathematica (critical notice), International Studies in Philosophy of Science, Metascience

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.

ARTIKLER (seleksjon; se min personlige webside)

I tidskrifter

• (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. 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 acces

• Discontinuities and Singularities, Data and Phenomena: For Referentialism. Synthese 196: 1919–1937 (2019) link

• (w/ Rob Moir) The 'Miracle' of Applicability? The Curious Case of the Simple Harmonic Oscillator. Foundations of Physics 48(5): 507-525 (2018) link

• Scientific Explanation and Understanding: Unificationism Reconsidered. European Journal for Philosophy of Science 7(1): 103-126 (2017) link

• (w/ Nic Fillion) Numerical Methods, Complexity and Epistemic Hierarchies. Philosophy of Science 82.5: 941-955 (2015) link

• Indispensability and Explanation. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 64(2): 255-277 (2013) link

• On the Role of Bridge Laws in Inter-theoretic Relations. Philosophy of Science 78(5): 1108-1119 (2011) link
• On Bertrand's Paradox. Analysis 70: 30-35 (2010) link
• Understanding Thermodynamic Singularities. Phase transitions, Data and Phenomena. Philosophy of Science 76.4: 488-505 (2009) link
• Reifying Mathematics? Prediction and Symmetry Classification. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 39.2: 239-58 (2008) link
• Inference to the Best Explanation and Mathematical Realism. Synthese 160: 13-20 (2008) link
• Steiner on the Applicability of Mathematics and Naturalism. Philosophia Mathematica (3)14: 26-43 (2006) link

I redigerte bøker

• 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
• Later Wittgenstein and the Genealogy of Mathematical Necessity. In Wittgenstein and Naturalism. K. Cahill and T. Raleigh. (eds.) Pp. 151-173. Routledge (2018) link
• Symmetry. In The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Physics. R. Batterman. (ed.) Pp. 287-313. Oxford Univ. Press (2013) link 

Andre publikasjoner (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
• Peter Vickers Understanding Inconsistent Science (Oxford Univ. Press, 2013) Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. (2014) link
• Structures, Fictions, and the Explanatory Epistemology of Mathematics in Science. Metascience 22(2): 247-273 (2013) Invited contribution to a symposium on Christopher Pincock's Mathematics and Scientific Representation, Oxford Univ. Press, 2012. Co-symposiasts: M. Balaguer and E. Landry. Responses by C. Pincock. link

• FRIPRO-FRIHUMSAM prosjekt: 15 mil kroner forskningsmidler (ca. 10 mil NOK fra Forskningsrådet),  co-PI Kevin Cahill (Univ. of Bergen). Prosjekt titel: Mathematics with a Human Face. Set Theory within a Naturalized Wittgensteinean Framework 2019-2024.
• Annual Bergen Philosophy of Science Workshop (BPSW)