Research
I have research interests in philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, and metaphysics. Currently, I am interested in the epistemology and methodology of particle physics. I develop a philosophical account of guiding principles in scientific inquiry. Traditionally, scientific principles are understood as claims that are particularly robust. But sometimes principles play an important role in scientific inquiry even though they have hypothetical or even speculative character. Looking at case studies such as the so-called “naturalness principle” in high-energy physics, I research the roles that such principles play in developing new theories and motivating experiments.
Moreover, I have research interests in theories of causation and causal reasoning. I am interested in value-laden causal reasoning, for example, in the context of cause-of-death inquiry. Causal relations are objective features of the world. Yet causal reasoning is often affected by our goals and context-specific background assumptions. What roles may such goals and assumptions play? What are the consequences for our causal concepts? I have also published on interventionist causal models as a framework for understanding causal concepts.
Moreover, I have research interests in theories of causation and causal reasoning. I am interested in value-laden causal reasoning, for example, in the context of cause-of-death inquiry. Causal relations are objective features of the world. Yet causal reasoning is often affected by our goals and context-specific background assumptions. What roles may such goals and assumptions play? What are the consequences for our causal concepts? I have also published on interventionist causal models as a framework for understanding causal concepts.
Peer-Reviewed Publications:
2024: with Saana Jukola: Bodies of Evidence: The ‘Excited Delirium Syndrome’ and the Epistemology of Cause-of-Death Inquiry. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.
Published version (open access)
2024: Broken Brakes and Dreaming Drivers: The Heuristic Value of Causal Models in the Law. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 14(5). Published version (open access)
2024: The Promise of Supersymmetry. Synthese, 203(6). Published version (open access)
2023: Actual Causation and the Challenge of Purpose. Erkenntnis. Published version (open access)
2023: Naturalness and the Forward-Looking Justification of Scientific Principles. Philosophy of Science, 90(5):1050-1059 Published version (open access)
2021: Three Concepts of Actual Causation. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. Accepted manuscript, Published version
2021: Causation and the Problem of Disagreement. Philosophy of Science, 88(5): 773-783. Accepted manuscript, Published version
2016: The Ethics of Genetic Intervention in Human Embryos: Assessing Jürgen Habermas's Approach. Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy, 30(1): 79-96. Published version (open access).
Published version (open access)
2024: Broken Brakes and Dreaming Drivers: The Heuristic Value of Causal Models in the Law. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 14(5). Published version (open access)
2024: The Promise of Supersymmetry. Synthese, 203(6). Published version (open access)
2023: Actual Causation and the Challenge of Purpose. Erkenntnis. Published version (open access)
2023: Naturalness and the Forward-Looking Justification of Scientific Principles. Philosophy of Science, 90(5):1050-1059 Published version (open access)
2021: Three Concepts of Actual Causation. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. Accepted manuscript, Published version
2021: Causation and the Problem of Disagreement. Philosophy of Science, 88(5): 773-783. Accepted manuscript, Published version
2016: The Ethics of Genetic Intervention in Human Embryos: Assessing Jürgen Habermas's Approach. Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy, 30(1): 79-96. Published version (open access).
Other Publications:
2023: Review of James Woodward Causation with a Human Face. Journal for General Philosophy of Science. Published version (open access)
2016: Conference Report: SOPhiA 2016. Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy, 30(3):121-124. Published version (open access)
2016: Conference Report: SOPhiA 2016. Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy, 30(3):121-124. Published version (open access)
Work in Progress:
- On Guiding Principles (under review)
- On the Life-Cycle of Principles (with R. Dardashti and R. Harlander)
- On the Life-Cycle of Principles (with R. Dardashti and R. Harlander)
Dissertation:
Title: Actual Causation.
Defended 08/2020
Abstract:
In my doctoral thesis I argue that we need to be pluralist with regard to actual causation and I provide an analysis of the context-sensitivity of concepts of actual causation. Part I of the thesis introduces two central problems for theories of actual causation: the problem of redundancy and the problem of selection. It also provides a review of causal model based approaches to provide a unified solution to these two problems. Part II presents my pluralist account. I argue from an interventionist perspective that we need to distinguish three concepts of actual causation: total, path-changing, and contributing actual causation. I also argue that we need a pluralist account with regard to the function of these concepts: even though the interventionist approach is largely successful there are some instances of causal reasoning that are better explained from the perspective of responsibility. Part III explores consequences of the pluralist account. I employ a distinction between two kinds of context-sensitivity in order to show that attempts to provide a principled approach to actual causation in the law face difficulties. I also present a new argument for incorporating a distinction between context-sensitive default and deviant values into causal models.
Defended 08/2020
Abstract:
In my doctoral thesis I argue that we need to be pluralist with regard to actual causation and I provide an analysis of the context-sensitivity of concepts of actual causation. Part I of the thesis introduces two central problems for theories of actual causation: the problem of redundancy and the problem of selection. It also provides a review of causal model based approaches to provide a unified solution to these two problems. Part II presents my pluralist account. I argue from an interventionist perspective that we need to distinguish three concepts of actual causation: total, path-changing, and contributing actual causation. I also argue that we need a pluralist account with regard to the function of these concepts: even though the interventionist approach is largely successful there are some instances of causal reasoning that are better explained from the perspective of responsibility. Part III explores consequences of the pluralist account. I employ a distinction between two kinds of context-sensitivity in order to show that attempts to provide a principled approach to actual causation in the law face difficulties. I also present a new argument for incorporating a distinction between context-sensitive default and deviant values into causal models.
Selected Talks (Past and Upcoming):
Guiding Principles in Physics
09/2023 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Belgrade.
The Life-Cycle of Scientific Principles
03/2023 Workshop "Principles in Physics", Wuppertal. Invited.
Guiding Principles and the Pursuitworthiness of Scientific Theories
12/2022 International Conference on Large-Scale Experiments, Karlsruhe.
Naturalness as a Guiding Principle
11/2022 Colloquium for Philosophy of Science, Institute for Philosophy, Bern. Invited.
10/2022 Colloquium of the Institute for Theoretical Physics 2, Bochum. Invited.
Naturalness and the Forward-Looking Justification of Scientific Principles
11/2022 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting, Pittsburgh.
07/2022 Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) Seventh Biennial Conference, Ghent.
04/2022 Conference of the Irvine-London-Munich-Polimi-Salzburg Network in Philosophy and Foundations of Physics (ILMPS), Milan.
Bodies of Evidence - Causation in Forensic Medicine, with Saana Jukola
06/2022 Colloquium, Chair for Philosophy and History of Science, Ruhr University Bochum.
Panelist on "Beyond the Merely Empirical"
06/2022 History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Bonn.
Naturalness as a Constitutive Principle?
08/2022 Conference of the German Society for the Philosophy of Science (GWP), Berlin.
Causal Models and Actual Causation in the Law
09/2021 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Turin.
Causation and the Problem of Disagreement
11/2021 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting 2020, Baltimore; postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
09/2018 Conference of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP), Cologne.
Pluralism about Actual Causation
09/2021 XXV. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Philosophie, Erlangen-Nürnberg; postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
11/2019 Cambridge Philosophy of Science (CamPoS), Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge.
Causation, Intervention, and Responsibility
09/2019 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Geneva.
09/2018 Conference of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP), Cologne.
08/2018 Workshop on Causes, Norms and Decisions, Hanover.
Epistemic Iteration and Scientific Progress
07/2017 Annual Conference of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS), Edinburgh.
Religion and the Problem of Knowledge Certification
06/2017 Workshop with Philip Kitcher, Leibniz University Hanover.
Tacit Knowledge in Science
11/2016 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting 2016, Atlanta.
07/2016 Annual Conference of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS), Cardiff.
Assessing the Past Hypothesis
07/2016 18th UK and European Conference on Foundations of Physics, LSE London.
The Concept of Causation in Physics
03/2016 Conference of the German Society for the Philosophy of Science (GWP), Düsseldorf.
09/2023 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Belgrade.
The Life-Cycle of Scientific Principles
03/2023 Workshop "Principles in Physics", Wuppertal. Invited.
Guiding Principles and the Pursuitworthiness of Scientific Theories
12/2022 International Conference on Large-Scale Experiments, Karlsruhe.
Naturalness as a Guiding Principle
11/2022 Colloquium for Philosophy of Science, Institute for Philosophy, Bern. Invited.
10/2022 Colloquium of the Institute for Theoretical Physics 2, Bochum. Invited.
Naturalness and the Forward-Looking Justification of Scientific Principles
11/2022 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting, Pittsburgh.
07/2022 Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) Seventh Biennial Conference, Ghent.
04/2022 Conference of the Irvine-London-Munich-Polimi-Salzburg Network in Philosophy and Foundations of Physics (ILMPS), Milan.
Bodies of Evidence - Causation in Forensic Medicine, with Saana Jukola
06/2022 Colloquium, Chair for Philosophy and History of Science, Ruhr University Bochum.
Panelist on "Beyond the Merely Empirical"
06/2022 History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Bonn.
Naturalness as a Constitutive Principle?
08/2022 Conference of the German Society for the Philosophy of Science (GWP), Berlin.
Causal Models and Actual Causation in the Law
09/2021 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Turin.
Causation and the Problem of Disagreement
11/2021 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting 2020, Baltimore; postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
09/2018 Conference of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP), Cologne.
Pluralism about Actual Causation
09/2021 XXV. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Philosophie, Erlangen-Nürnberg; postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
11/2019 Cambridge Philosophy of Science (CamPoS), Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge.
Causation, Intervention, and Responsibility
09/2019 Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA), Geneva.
09/2018 Conference of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP), Cologne.
08/2018 Workshop on Causes, Norms and Decisions, Hanover.
Epistemic Iteration and Scientific Progress
07/2017 Annual Conference of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS), Edinburgh.
Religion and the Problem of Knowledge Certification
06/2017 Workshop with Philip Kitcher, Leibniz University Hanover.
Tacit Knowledge in Science
11/2016 Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) Biennial Meeting 2016, Atlanta.
07/2016 Annual Conference of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS), Cardiff.
Assessing the Past Hypothesis
07/2016 18th UK and European Conference on Foundations of Physics, LSE London.
The Concept of Causation in Physics
03/2016 Conference of the German Society for the Philosophy of Science (GWP), Düsseldorf.