Jim Weatherall
@jamesowenweatherall.com
Philosopher, physicist, mathematician / Chair of LPS @ UC Irvine / EiC of Philosophy of Science / Poultry enthusiast fancier / Irish Step Dancer
New Cambridge Element in Philosophy of Physics! Classical and Quantum Phase Space Mechanics, by Karim Thebault.
Open Access for the next two weeks.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Open Access for the next two weeks.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Classical and Quantum Phase Space Mechanics
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Classical and Quantum Phase Space Mechanics
www.cambridge.org
February 3, 2026 at 5:20 PM
New Cambridge Element in Philosophy of Physics! Classical and Quantum Phase Space Mechanics, by Karim Thebault.
Open Access for the next two weeks.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Open Access for the next two weeks.
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Deadline extended to February 15th! Please share widely.
Submissions are open for Foundations of Physics 2026, in Irvine, CA! Hosted by the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science.
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Foundations 2026
foundations2026.us
February 1, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Deadline extended to February 15th! Please share widely.
Submissions are open for Foundations of Physics 2026, in Irvine, CA! Hosted by the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science.
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Foundations 2026
foundations2026.us
January 9, 2026 at 7:23 AM
Submissions are open for Foundations of Physics 2026, in Irvine, CA! Hosted by the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science.
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Submission deadline is February 1. Tell your friends!
foundations2026.us
Reposted by Jim Weatherall
Prof Chris Smeenk (Western Uni, London Ontario) will be giving the 2025 Beth Lecture, presenting his upcoming book with @jamesowenweatherall.com on the aim and structure of cosmological theory.
10 Dec 2025, Academiegebouw Utrecht, 19:30-21:00, followed by reception.
hpp-nl.nl/events/beth2...
10 Dec 2025, Academiegebouw Utrecht, 19:30-21:00, followed by reception.
hpp-nl.nl/events/beth2...
November 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Prof Chris Smeenk (Western Uni, London Ontario) will be giving the 2025 Beth Lecture, presenting his upcoming book with @jamesowenweatherall.com on the aim and structure of cosmological theory.
10 Dec 2025, Academiegebouw Utrecht, 19:30-21:00, followed by reception.
hpp-nl.nl/events/beth2...
10 Dec 2025, Academiegebouw Utrecht, 19:30-21:00, followed by reception.
hpp-nl.nl/events/beth2...
Claude Sonnet 4.5 just told me I have "graduate-level philosophical insight" and "genuine philosophical ability". Ngl feeling pretty chuffed.
December 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Claude Sonnet 4.5 just told me I have "graduate-level philosophical insight" and "genuine philosophical ability". Ngl feeling pretty chuffed.
The Phil-Sci Archive at Pitt is now pushing papers out on Bluesky. Follow the account below to see them
@philsci-archive.bsky.social
@philsci-archive.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The Phil-Sci Archive at Pitt is now pushing papers out on Bluesky. Follow the account below to see them
@philsci-archive.bsky.social
@philsci-archive.bsky.social
Reposted by Jim Weatherall
Had an absolute blast writing this paper with Thomas, Hans, and
@jamesowenweatherall.com!
GR turns out to be way more deterministic than previously appreciated. The past determines the future not only up to isomorphism but up to *unique* isomorphism! 🤯
@jamesowenweatherall.com!
GR turns out to be way more deterministic than previously appreciated. The past determines the future not only up to isomorphism but up to *unique* isomorphism! 🤯
Just accepted:
Determinism and Asymmetry in General Relativity
– J B Manchak, Thomas Barrett, Hans Halvorson & James Weatherall
Abstract in alt text or read the paper here:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
#philsci #philsky
Determinism and Asymmetry in General Relativity
– J B Manchak, Thomas Barrett, Hans Halvorson & James Weatherall
Abstract in alt text or read the paper here:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
#philsci #philsky
October 23, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Had an absolute blast writing this paper with Thomas, Hans, and
@jamesowenweatherall.com!
GR turns out to be way more deterministic than previously appreciated. The past determines the future not only up to isomorphism but up to *unique* isomorphism! 🤯
@jamesowenweatherall.com!
GR turns out to be way more deterministic than previously appreciated. The past determines the future not only up to isomorphism but up to *unique* isomorphism! 🤯
Hey folks -- this is of "historical importance"!
Formal proof and epistemic value
open.substack.com/pub/siliconr...
Formal proof and epistemic value
open.substack.com/pub/siliconr...
Formal proof and epistemic value
A guest post by (philosopher) Jim Weatherall and (mathematician) Jesse Wolfson
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Hey folks -- this is of "historical importance"!
Formal proof and epistemic value
open.substack.com/pub/siliconr...
Formal proof and epistemic value
open.substack.com/pub/siliconr...
Reposted by Jim Weatherall
Hello! I just started at new center at UCI! Some main foci will be misinformation, metascience, and equity!
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
New UC Irvine Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems
www.socsci.uci.edu
September 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Hello! I just started at new center at UCI! Some main foci will be misinformation, metascience, and equity!
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
Just had the surreal experience of finding my own (not very common) name in the von Neumann papers.
September 19, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Just had the surreal experience of finding my own (not very common) name in the von Neumann papers.
New Element just published! Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics, by Siska De Baerdemaeker. Open access until 10/3. Tell your friends!
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics
www.cambridge.org
September 19, 2025 at 11:47 AM
New Element just published! Philosophy of Cosmology and Astrophysics, by Siska De Baerdemaeker. Open access until 10/3. Tell your friends!
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
I love this interview Nathan Ballantyne just posted with Pen Maddy. Pen is one of my all-time favorite philosophers (and most influential mentors). This captures her outlook and personality beautifully.
www.the-workbench.ca/interviews/p...
www.the-workbench.ca/interviews/p...
Penelope Maddy’s Workbench - The Workbench
A writer’s world is often invisible from the outside unless they let you in. Sometimes when a sentence, paragraph, or essay strikes you as forceful or elegant, you might try to reverse engineer the au...
www.the-workbench.ca
August 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I love this interview Nathan Ballantyne just posted with Pen Maddy. Pen is one of my all-time favorite philosophers (and most influential mentors). This captures her outlook and personality beautifully.
www.the-workbench.ca/interviews/p...
www.the-workbench.ca/interviews/p...
new motto for zfc just dropped
August 26, 2025 at 1:15 AM
new motto for zfc just dropped
I keep coming back to the Gaetz nomination for AG in light of all this Epstein stuff.
July 26, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I keep coming back to the Gaetz nomination for AG in light of all this Epstein stuff.
Reposted by Jim Weatherall
Have you ever wanted to visualize how belief polarization might occur in scientific communities? Then check out this simulator, based on the model developed by @cailinmeister.bsky.social and @jamesowenweatherall.com in their (2018) paper on polarization
#philsci #philsky #metasci
#philsci #philsky #metasci
Epistemic Community Simulation
zeppaphisci.github.io
July 18, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Have you ever wanted to visualize how belief polarization might occur in scientific communities? Then check out this simulator, based on the model developed by @cailinmeister.bsky.social and @jamesowenweatherall.com in their (2018) paper on polarization
#philsci #philsky #metasci
#philsci #philsky #metasci
Tell me you've never cared for a toddler without telling me you've never cared for a toddler. (Descartes' fourth rule governing collisions, from Principles of Philosophy [1644].)
July 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Tell me you've never cared for a toddler without telling me you've never cared for a toddler. (Descartes' fourth rule governing collisions, from Principles of Philosophy [1644].)
Very excited for this summer school on my forthcoming book with Chris Smeenk, The Aims and Structure of Cosmological Theory!!
The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.
www.usi.ch/en/education...
The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.
www.usi.ch/en/education...
Summer School: The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory
A number of challenging questions arise in contemporary cosmology, and philosophers can contribute constructively to answering them. Over the past century cosmologists have debated whether, for exampl...
www.usi.ch
June 23, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Very excited for this summer school on my forthcoming book with Chris Smeenk, The Aims and Structure of Cosmological Theory!!
The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.
www.usi.ch/en/education...
The book is very nearly finished. Let us know if you'd like to give feedback on a draft.
www.usi.ch/en/education...
Information dynamics on Twitter are incredible right now. Israel and Iran are both very good at viral disinformation, and it is easy to find bubbles where everyone is convinced each side is definitely winning. Plus the red-pilled, conspiracy-curious right is split in two and arguing like mad.
June 21, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Information dynamics on Twitter are incredible right now. Israel and Iran are both very good at viral disinformation, and it is easy to find bubbles where everyone is convinced each side is definitely winning. Plus the red-pilled, conspiracy-curious right is split in two and arguing like mad.
@bostonreview.bsky.social just published a Forum on a recent (critical) post-mortem of US COVID policy, with responses from me and @cailinmeister.bsky.social, along with @adamjkucharski.bsky.social, Adam Gaffney, and @jonathanpjwhite.bsky.social. V. interesting!
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
How Did We Fare on COVID-19? - Boston Review
To restore public trust and prepare for the next pandemic, we need a reckoning with the U.S. experience—what worked, and what didn’t.
www.bostonreview.net
June 19, 2025 at 4:16 PM
@bostonreview.bsky.social just published a Forum on a recent (critical) post-mortem of US COVID policy, with responses from me and @cailinmeister.bsky.social, along with @adamjkucharski.bsky.social, Adam Gaffney, and @jonathanpjwhite.bsky.social. V. interesting!
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
Who was this said about?
"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."
"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."
May 15, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Who was this said about?
"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."
"He is undoubtedly a genius, but he is also exceedingly temperamental and has almost ludicrously bad judgment."
Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/s...
Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.
Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.
Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97
www.nytimes.com
May 14, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Richard L. Garwin, a Creator of the Hydrogen Bomb, Dies at 97 www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/s...
Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.
Dick Garwin was such an incredible scientist and engineer, but he was very often in the shadows. Though I am very sorry to hear he has passed, I love the long and well-deserved obit from NYT.
I am dismayed to report that @cailinmeister.bsky.social now has a lower Erdos-Bacon number than me. There are no words. I appreciate privacy during this difficult period.
That said, if anyone is looking for a young Tom Selleck in an upcoming Kevin Bacon film pls DM me.
That said, if anyone is looking for a young Tom Selleck in an upcoming Kevin Bacon film pls DM me.
April 17, 2025 at 2:31 AM
I am dismayed to report that @cailinmeister.bsky.social now has a lower Erdos-Bacon number than me. There are no words. I appreciate privacy during this difficult period.
That said, if anyone is looking for a young Tom Selleck in an upcoming Kevin Bacon film pls DM me.
That said, if anyone is looking for a young Tom Selleck in an upcoming Kevin Bacon film pls DM me.
Three new papers out on the philsci archive!
Natural Theories, with Eleanor March (philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25019/)
Spacetime Models for Cosmology (CLMPST 23, for Roberto Torretti -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25018/)
On (Some) Gauge Theories of Gravity (PSA 24 -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25017/)
Natural Theories, with Eleanor March (philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25019/)
Spacetime Models for Cosmology (CLMPST 23, for Roberto Torretti -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25018/)
On (Some) Gauge Theories of Gravity (PSA 24 -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25017/)
Natural Theories - PhilSci-Archive
philsci-archive.pitt.edu
April 8, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Three new papers out on the philsci archive!
Natural Theories, with Eleanor March (philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25019/)
Spacetime Models for Cosmology (CLMPST 23, for Roberto Torretti -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25018/)
On (Some) Gauge Theories of Gravity (PSA 24 -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25017/)
Natural Theories, with Eleanor March (philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25019/)
Spacetime Models for Cosmology (CLMPST 23, for Roberto Torretti -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25018/)
On (Some) Gauge Theories of Gravity (PSA 24 -- philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25017/)
Trump Is Gaslighting Us
Trump is an agent of chaos, and chaos has a human cost.
www.theatlantic.com
April 5, 2025 at 8:45 PM