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Oscar

@oscarw.bsky.social
2.1K followers 836 following 316 posts

Philosophy postdoc at the University of Iceland. PhD from HPS Cambridge. Interested in philosophy of science, logic, language, and pragmatism.

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Reposted by Oscar
Milena Ivanova @milenaivanova.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Very honoured to be the first speaker for this exciting new series at Murray Edwards College www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ai-art-and...
eventbrite.co.uk
AI, Art and Morality
Rosemary Murray Library Conversations
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British Society for the Philosophy of Science @thebsps.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Please come along to the launch of Adrian Currie's new book, The Science of Lost Worlds (published by BSPS Open). Details here: www.exeter.ac.uk/events/resea... Download your Open Access copy here: ucp.manifoldapp.org/projects/978... For more BSPS Open info go to: www.thebsps.org/bsps-open/
exeter.ac.uk
Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences events | Events | University of Exeter
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
often words like 'understanding' play an evaluative and (what Mark Wilson calls) a managerial role. Such words will often conceal their underlying complexity but play a very important role in picking out certain capacities, abilities, or skills that matter in different contexts.
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
This doesn't address your question of whether we have multiple words to describe these different levels (though maybe there are differences between 'grasping', 'comprehending', 'explaining', and 'understanding' that are relevant). However, it does point another direction, which is that...
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Henk de Regt, Dennis Dieks, and Victor Gijsbers (in different collaborative papers) have also argued that understanding ought to be evaluated based on fruitfulness in achieving scientific aims and generating new insights.
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Daniel Wilkenfeld has also argued that understanding is evaluated along the dimensions of (more or less) representational accuracy and (more or less) ability to manipulate relevant representations.
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
understanding along multiple dimensions. @miikeessttuuart.bsky.social has a nice paper on how thought experiments increase understanding, and how such increase is evaluated in terms of meaningfulness, perhaps capturing your point 2, and fruitfulness, capturing something like your points 4-5.
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
As @danieldrucker.bsky.social points out, there's lots of good work on understanding both in philosophy of science and epistemology. Two significant aspects of understanding relevant to your points is its gradability and context-sensitivity, but there's also interesting work on how we evaluate...
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Fenner Tanswell @fennert.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Next week Wednesday and Thursday (7th and 8th October) we will be running the event "Mathematical Proof in the age of AI" at the University of Bergen. www4.uib.no/en/research/...
www4.uib.no
Mathematical Proof in the Age of AI
This conference will be about the various implications of AI-based proving and autoformalisation for mathematics. Examples include the recently (claimed) major breakthrough in solving the Navier-Stoke...
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This makes me want to get on the train from Oslo to Bergen!
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Had a great time speaking at the Minnesota International Postdoc Forum last week! Some great questions and comments giving me lots to think about. Thanks for having me!
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Adrian Currie @adrian-currie.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
press.ucalgary.ca/books/978177...
Ummm hard to describe: a creepily colour-inverted Ichthyosaur wearing spectacles crawls through a cave to discover a copy of Currie’s “The Science of Lost Worlds”
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thanks!
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Jeremy Avigad also has some really good stuff on understanding in mathematics, motivated by the need to evaluate and assess the elements of mathematics that don't have to do with knowing that a result is correct (going beyond proof-validation). It's a nice complement to de Regt's work.
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Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science @mcps-philsci.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Join us online next week for our first International Postdoc Forum of the 2026 Autumn semester. @oscarw.bsky.social, University of Iceland, will discuss "Understanding to Some Purpose." Wed 23 Sept, 12:15 pm CDT (UTC -5). We will post a recording afterward. Zoom link on the website: buff.ly/cQSwND3
buff.ly
International Postdoc Forum
This page contains information about postdoc forums.
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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Postdoc in history of physics @ Radboud University in The Netherlands on "Origins of Irreversibility" part of larger grant to explore fundamental questions concerning entropy, chaos, & irreversibility #HPS ⚛️ Deadline: 14 October 2026 Duration: 2 years, starting 2027 www.ru.nl/en/working-a...
ru.nl
Postdoc Positions: Origins of Irreversibility | Radboud University
Do you want to work as a Postdoc at the Faculty of Science? Check our vacancy!
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Fintan Mallory @fintanmallory.com · 14/09/2026
Mufasa explains the circle of life but it's the Lotka-Volterra equations
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ISiS Radboud @isis-radboud.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
🥁 Call for Applications: ‘ISiS Research Visiting Scientist Programme’. Residencies would need to take place before the end of 2026. Our institute will host a maximum of four researchers. More info: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9nk4a... #philsci #ELSA #ELSI #STS #ecology
Photo of Radboud University campus showing the Huygens building.
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The HPS Podcast @hpspodcast.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"But on the night sky, it's like seeing an atom held at arm's length..." This week on the podcast, Peter Galison joins Sophie Ritson to discuss what it took to make the first image of the black hole — and what it means to say we saw it. linktr.ee/thehpspodcast
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Adrian Currie @adrian-currie.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide, edited by the inestimable @phieveigl.bsky.social (and me!), has 27 chapters from super-cool philosophers of science explaining how they do their thing, and is now open access! Our baby is free! #philsci direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edi...
direct.mit.edu
Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide
A guidebook to methods and methodology, encouraging deeper engagement across the philosophy of science and beyond.The last twenty years have seen multiple
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It was a pleasure to contribute to this symposium in Mind & Language on Frances Egan's wonderful book, Deflating mental representation (MIT, 2025). My paper on "Deflationism, realism and fictionalism" is Open Access: dx.doi.org/10.1111/mila... @francesegan.bsky.social @kenaizawa.bsky.social #philsky
dx.doi.org
Deflationism, realism, and fictionalism
Frances Egan's Deflating mental representation gives a forceful defence of deflationism about mental representation. Deflationism is a form of selective realism: It is realist about vehicles of menta....
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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Bisexual of the Blade (Alt-text or DIE) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 04/09/2026
- John Dewey
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Oskari Sivula @oskarisivula.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Another postdoc position open at the University of Helsinki. This time in "The Many Faces of Inquiry: Towards a Dynamic and Pluralistic Epistemology" -project: philjobs.org/job/show/31949 AOS: epistemology/ethics #PhilJobs #philsky #epistemology #ethics #philosophy #postdoc
philjobs.org
Postdoctoral Researcher/Researcher, University of Helsinki - PhilJobs:JFP Postdoctoral Researcher/Researcher, University of Helsinki
An international database of jobs for philosophers
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Another way Wittgenstein was wrong!
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Sander Verhaegh @sanderverhaegh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In the 1930s, a group of European philosophers fled fascism and reshaped American philosophy. Why did logical positivism have such an impact on US thought? And why did it play a central role in the culture wars of the 1950s and 1960s? Released today! Logical Positivism: An American History (1/3)
Cover of Logical Positivism: An American History
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Samuli Reijula @samulireijula.net · 28/08/2026
Meillä on ERC-hankkeessa väikkäripaikan haku auki 3.9. asti. Ala on tieteenfilosofia/tieteentutkimus/kognitiotiede ja aihe tekoälyn käyttö tieteellisessä ongelmanratkaisussa jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
jobs.helsinki.fi
Doctoral Researcher, Philosophy of science: AI in scientific problem solving
Doctoral Researcher, Philosophy of science: AI in scientific problem solving
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Edouard Machery @edouardmachery.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
this should be an interesting book. Sander is great
academic.oup.com
Logical Positivism: An American History
Abstract. This book tells the remarkable story of a group of European philosophers and scientists who fled fascism and reshaped American philosophy. Drawin
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rose novick @rosenovick.com · 16/08/2026
i do think philosophers of science today should be made to read feyerabend and acknowledge every then-controversial point he made that is standard fare today
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Such a cool theme! Darn the eligibility criteria…
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Anna Alexandrova @annaalexandrova.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Two junior research fellowships @kingscollege.bsky.social opening soon due on Oct 1st. The theme is REPLICATION conceived broadly to encompass different research projects in humanities and social sciences. As a philosopher of science I am esp hoping for applications in #philsci #metascience #hps
kings.cam.ac.uk
Current research opportunities
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Not far off when he's putting all his money on AI
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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Looking forward to participating in this conference "What Makes a Geoscience Model Useful?" hosted by @geolsoc.bsky.social on 21 - 22 September 2026 09:00 - 18:00 Burlington House, Piccadilly, London & virtual (They sent me this nifty speaker graphic to share) #philsci ⚒️ www.geolsoc.org.uk/geomodels
A poster with pic of Alisa & text 21 - 22 September 2026
I'm speaking at the What Makes a Geoscience Model Useful? Conference
'Data, Models, and Uncertainty in the Geosciences: Philosophical Issues and Strategies'
Monday 21 September, 10:00 - 10:40
Alisa Bokulich
Boston University
www.geolsoc.org.uk/Geomodels
The Geological Society
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Cristian Larroulet Philippi @cristianlarph.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
This is possibly the first time that (world-class) seismologists will join philosophers of science to discuss progress in seismology. Very proud of having co-organized this with @miguelohn.bsky.social and Teru Miyake #philsci #PSA26 #histci #seismology #earthquakes
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Frederick Britt @fbritt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
It's been over a month since our workshop on entity realism, held at the @unibe.ch and supported by the @snsf.ch, where among others @msuarez.bsky.social and @kenaizawa.bsky.social delivered great talks! The recordings are finally available here: www.philosophie.unibe.ch/research/pro... #philsci
philosophie.unibe.ch
Entity Realism Beyond Manipulation
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I found this strange too! As if people read the review as some sort of "gotcha" that is meant to set up camps against each other.
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Lisa Bortolotti @lisabortolotti.com · 28/07/2026
A few days left for our call for papers on Philosophy through Art, Games and Fiction, dedicated to Helen De Cruz think.taylorandfranc... I am convinced that being playful and creative makes us better philosophers. Prove me right! #philsky #philosophy
think.taylorandfrancis.com
Philosophy through Art, Games, and Fiction
Can we do philosophy by writing fiction, drawing, designing a game, or telling a story? Submit work to this special issue honouring the legacy of Helen De Cruz.
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noam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
listen, i'm not here to tell you about quine. you already know about quine. either he lives in your heart or he doesn't
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Sabina Leonelli @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Closing this tough academic year with Res Philosophica paper on the legacy of Popper's & Bergson's ideas on #OpenSociety and #OpenScience - huge thanks to colleagues & @erc.europa.eu for so much learning and fruitful collaborations, and wishing all some rest in the coming month! #philsci
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British Journal for the Philosophy of Science @thebjps.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The first keynote of #BSPS2026 comes from Tarja Knuuttila, ‘Revisiting Artefactualism: The Model-Target coupling Displaced’ #philsci #philsky
A woman stands in front of a PowerPoint, which displays the title of her talk
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Ellen Clarke @ellenclarke.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
@thebsps.bsky.social BSPS Leeds 2026 is go! Opening with a presidential address by Robin Hendry ‘Metaphysics & Science: A call for History’ sites.google.com/view/bsps202...
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Andra Meneganzin @andrameneganzin.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
My first #SPSP conference in Cambridge was fun. Best bits: getting a glimpse of the many facets of philosophy of science in practice, presenting my work as part of a fun symposium on "making data speak" in archaeology, cows on campus, and a fantastic final gig ✨️ #philsky #philbio #evosky #hps 💀🏺
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Jakob Ortmann @jakobortmann.eu · 21/07/2026
Happy my manuscript accepted in Philosophy of Science (@philscijournal.bsky.social) is now available! It's carving out a space for speech-act-theory and STS to co-exist, laying out conceptual foundations for further work in philsci. Comments welcome! doi.org/10.1017/psa....
doi.org
But what is ‘Performativity of Science’? Austin, Perlocutionary Sequels, and Referent Malleability | Philosophy of Science | Cambridge Core
But what is ‘Performativity of Science’? Austin, Perlocutionary Sequels, and Referent Malleability
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Sabina Leonelli @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Hasok Chang opening the 11th biennial conference of the Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice #spsp2026 - as ever, fantastic to see so many dear friends and beautiful minds together in one (large!) room! #philsci spspcambridge2026.com
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University of York Department of Philosophy @uoyphilosophy.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
This week, Mike Stuart will be speaking about "Pragmatic Understanding and Scientific Robotics" at the Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice in Cambridge. See the full program here: spspcambridge2026.com/program
spspcambridge2026.com
SPSP Conference 2026 Program | SPSP Cambridge 2026
The Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice 2026 conference program. Hosted at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.
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Uljana Feest @ufeest.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Heading to Cambridge today: spspcambridge2026.com/program #spsp #philsci #hps
spspcambridge2026.com
SPSP Conference 2026 Program | SPSP Cambridge 2026
The Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice 2026 conference program. Hosted at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.
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Matteo Vagelli @mvagelli.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
If in Edinburgh today for the joint ESHS/HSS meeting, do drop by our roundtable on Late Hacking! We'll be discussing Hacking's later philosophy, his years at the Collège de France, and much more. Unfortunately I can't be there in person, but it's in excellent hands. Hope to see many of you there!
convention2.allacademic.com
The Late Ian Hacking’s Legacy for the History of Science: Reasoning, Kinds, Trees of Life
This roundtable reconsiders the profound and ongoing influence of Ian Hacking which has shaped research in the history of science for decades and continues to inspire scholarship spanning statistics, ...
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Sabina Leonelli @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
And it’s out - our homage to the inimitable John Dupré, a giant of contemporary philosophy, from his loving colleagues and a stellar cast of contributors link.springer.com/book/10.1007... : #philsci
link.springer.com
Life Beyond Human Boundaries: John Dupré’s Philosophy and the Interdisciplinary Study of the Life Sciences
This open access book is self-standing as the only substantive anthology of writings centered on John Dupre’s work.
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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Looking fwd to this workshop @ Caltech just before #PSA26 bringing together scholars from seismology & from history & philosophy of science to address relation between theory, observation, instrumentation, & progress in seismology. Free registration here: forms.office.com/pages/respon... #philsci ⚒️
Caltech workshop poster with text: "Observation, Theory, and Progress in Seismology
RSVP HERE
ABOUT
A workshop bringing together scholars from seismology and from history and philosophy of science to address the relation between theory, observation, instrumentation, and progress in seismology
SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS
• Zhongwen Zhan (Caltech)
• Hiroo Kanamori (Caltech)
• Teru Miyake (NTU)
• Susan Hough (USGS)
• Miguel Onesorge (University of Toronto)
• Lucy Jones (Caltech)
• Tom Heaton (Caltech)
• Alisa Bokulich (Boston Uni)
• Jamee Elder (Tufts)
TUESDAY
NOV.17.2026
CALTECH CAMPUS
1200 E CALIFORNIA BLVD, PASADENA, CA, 91125
EXACT TIME AND LOCATION TBA
QUESTIONS? CONTACT AMERICA DE LA CRUZ
© 626-395-6952
•
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Oscar @oscarw.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Home!
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