History & Philosophy of Science

"To remain ignorant of things that happened before you were born is to remain a child."

— Cicero

Research Focus

"Understanding the epistemic foundations of scientific knowledge."

My academic work centers on understanding the epistemic foundations of scientific knowledge, specifically focused on philosophical issues surrounding scientific realism and the historical development of classical electrodynamics.

Rather than adjudicating the debate on purely epistemic grounds, I explored the pragmatic motivations for adopting either position. What does it mean for working scientists — and for society — when we commit to one view over another?

Scientific Realism — The view that our best scientific theories describe reality as it actually is

Anti-Realism — Skepticism about whether theories reveal truth, or merely "save the phenomena"

Pragmatic Turn — Shifting focus from epistemics to the practical consequences of our commitments

"What hangs on taking science literally? And what do we lose when we don't?"

Academic Credentials

REF: DEGREE•DOCTORATE

PhD, History & Philosophy of Science

University of Toronto

Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

A Pragmatic, Existentialist Approach to the Scientific Realism Debate
Supervisor: James Robert Brown • 2017

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship Supported

Download Thesis

REF: DEGREE•MASTERS

MA, Philosophy

University of Victoria

Department of Philosophy

2009

SSHRC Graduate Scholarship Supported

Winner: Kenneth Rankin Best MA Thesis Prize

REF: DEGREE•UNDERGRADUATE

BA with Distinction, Philosophy

University of Alberta

Minor in Sociology

2006

Jason Lang Scholarship

REF: PUBLICATIONS•LIBRARY

Selected Publications & Works

The pragmatic turn in the scientific realism debate

Synthese (2024)

with S.C. Boucher • DOI: 10.1007/s11229-024-04528-9

A pragmatic, existentialist approach to the scientific realism debate

Synthese (2017)

Vol. 194, Issue 9, pp. 3327–3346

Review of Bas van Fraassen, Scientific Representation: Paradoxes of Perspective

Spontaneous Generations (2009)

Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 236-238

Towards a Philosophy of Commercialized Science

Metascience (2013)

Review of Hans Radder

Editor's Introduction: Science and Public Controversy

Spontaneous Generations (2011)

Vol. 5, No. 1

REF: TEACHING•PEDAGOGY

Teaching Experience

Undergraduate & Graduate Instruction

Download Complete Teaching Dossier

Philosophy of Science

Scientific Realism

Scientific Revolutions

Epistemology

Formal Logic

Introductory Philosophy

History of Ancient Science

History of Modern Science

Science as Social Problem

Individual InstructionWorld Class Private Tutoring →

My background as an educator and researcher shapes everything else I do.

Start a Conversation

← Return to The Collider