Kristof Perreman

Kristof Perreman

About me

I am a student Philosophy @ Ghent University (UG), Philosophy and Moral Sciences Department, Belgium. My dissertation will (most probably) be on something concerning philosophy of space and time. My promotor will (also most probably) be Jean Paul Van Bendegem, from the Brussels Free University (VUB). The article Finitism in Geometry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is by his hand.

I also study philosophy of science under Leon Horsten @ the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), Institute of Philosophy, Belgium.

Latest:

Book Review by Phillip Bricker on Travels in Four Dimensions, The Enigmas of Space and Time by Robin le Poidevin, published in the June issue of The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
Book: Understanding Space-Time, The Philosophical Development of Physics from Newton to Einstein by Robert DiSalle, University of Western Ontario.
Alexander Vilenkin has an article Philosophical Implications of Inflationary Cosmology published in the March issue of The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
Lee Smolin's recent rather philosophical paper The Case for Background Independence where he argues for string theory moving to background independence as a solution for the many problems it (still) faces, amongst which the Landscape. This way theories have fewer assumptions and are more predictive. He argues a.o. on the basis of philosophical arguments in favour of relationalism/relational space (background independence) given by Leibniz against absolute space (background dependence) as propagated by Newton. Smolin even refers to philosophers as being helpful for physics. :o :D

Blogs

Links

Here are a few links concerning (books and problems on) philosophy of space and time I have found useful (I’v only just begun creating a reading-background). Useful here means interesting for lay people with a decent basic knowledge of mathematics and physics.

Resources:

Prof. Soshichi Uchii's Philosophy and History of Science index

Course sites:

Home pages:

John Baez's Stuff, containing much introductory stuff on relativity, e.g. A Guide to Books on Relativity Theory, with a Philosophical books related to relativity theory category
Edward L. (Ned) Wright, containing Cosmology and Relativity tutorial
Jonathan Bain
Adolf Grünbaum
Gerard ‘t Hooft

More me: