The Birmingham-Bristol-London-Oxford-Cambridge (BBLOC) Philosophy of Physics seminar, hosted by King’s College London will be meeting on 18th March 2021 4:30-6pm GMT. Tushar Menon will be giving a talk with the title ‘Metaphysical Indeterminacy in Noncommutative Geometry’.

More details and Zoom link here: https://kingsphilosophy.com/bbloc/

All are welcome!

Abstract: In this talk, I introduce a family of approaches to quantum geometry that collectively go under the name of `noncommutative geometries’ (NCGs), expressed in the formalism of spectral triples, developed by Alain Connes and collaborators. I will discuss an interesting interpretative puzzle to which spectral triples give rise: what we might call the `indeterminacy of location’ puzzle.

‘Indeterminacy of location’ applies to situations in which, for whatever reason, according to the theory, nature does not ascribe to an entity a determinate a matter of fact about its spatial location below a particular scale. The puzzle, accordingly, is to characterise this particular brand of indeterminacy and understand the consequent metaphysical commitments of NCGs regarding space. I demonstrate how we can marshal some standard metaphysical and semantic resources to solve this puzzle.

[This talk is based on work done in collaboration with Nick Huggett and Fedele Lizzi]

The Birmingham-Bristol-London-Oxford-Cambridge (BBLOC) Philosophy of Physics seminar, hosted by King’s College London will be meeting on 19th November 2020 4:30-6pm GMT. Emily Adlam will be giving a talk with the title ‘Spooky Action at a Temporal Distance’. 

More details and Zoom link here: https://kingsphilosophy.com/bbloc/

All are welcome!

Please follow this link to find out about a wonderful participatory research project Kneading Knowledge. You can sign up for virtual cookery classes facilitated by the charity Migrateful, which supports asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants on their journey to employment, independence and integration by offering cookery classes where migrant chefs share their cuisine and stories. The classes are for KCL students, staff, and members of the public. 

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/kneading-knowledge

New article in the New Statesman by our own Prof David Papineau argues that we should pay more attention to team reasoning.

The Philosophy Department at King’s College London is seeking an outstanding philosopher with research expertise and teaching experience in areas of philosophy with impact, application, and significance in relation to medicine, to lead the Peter Sowerby Project Philosophy & Medicine in its strategic, research, teaching, and organizational respects:: http://philosophyandmedicine.org/

The successful candidate will show evidence of excellence in research and will have the ability to teach to the highest professional standards at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the designing and convening of modules, lecturing, seminar teaching, providing formative feedback, supervising dissertations at all levels, and examining.
The successful candidate will have pastoral duties as a personal tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and will undertake administrative duties as required by the Head of Department.

This is a permanent post, to begin on 1st November 2020, or as soon as possible thereafter.

For more information, click here.

The Philosopher Queens, edited by former King’s Philosophy undergraduate Rebecca Buxton, and Lisa Whiting is available for pre-order here: https://unbound.com/books/philosopher-queens/

“For all the young women and girls sitting in philosophy class wondering where the women are, this is the book for you. This collection of 21 chapters, each on a prominent woman in philosophy, looks at the impact that women have had on the field throughout history. From Hypatia to Angela Davis, The Philosopher Queens will be a guide to these badass women and how their amazing ideas have changed the world.

“This book is written both for newcomers to philosophy, as well as all those professors who know that they could still learn a thing or two. This book is also for those many people who have told us that there are no great women philosophers.”

The chapter on Angela Davis, by Professor Anita L. Allen, is available for free here: https://thephilosopherqueens.co.uk/angeladavis

The UK Kant Society, of which our own Dr Jessica Leech is the Secretary, has a new website – ukks.co.uk.

The society exists to encourage study of all aspects of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, including relations to his historical predecessors, successors, as well as Kantian influence in contemporary philosophy.

While their annual conference has been cancelled this year, check ukks.co.uk/events for details of the Inaugural Online Lecture, to be delivered by Prof Patrick Frierson.

James Read will give the BBLOC (Birmingham-Bristol-London-Oxford-Cambridge) Philosophy of Physics research seminar this term on ‘Newtonian Equivalence Principles’.

Please join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81594653586

More info here: https://kingsphilosophy.com/bbloc/