An Author Meets Critics Symposium on Bob Batterman’s new book, A Middle Way: A Non-Fundamental Approach to Many-Body Physics.

“Robert W. Batterman’s monograph examines a ubiquitous methodology in physics and the science of materials that has virtually been ignored in the philosophical literature. This method focuses on mesoscale structures as a means for investigating complex many-body systems. It challenges foundational pictures of physics where the most important properties are taken to be found at lower, more fundamental scales.” >>read more>>

 This new book significantly extends some of Batterman’s influential themes with respect to the vital importance and autonomy of medium scale (mesoscopic) classificatory properties. His entirely novel discussion emphasizes the close-to-universal behaviors of suitably homogenized mesoscopic scale order parameters. These neglected considerations then support a pungent critique of widely accepted philosophical presumptions with respect to “laws’ and “natural kinds.” 

Bob Batterman is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh.  His current research examines a topic that straddles the border between philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. This topic concerns the role of mathematics in the formation and application of physical theories.

Workshop Details and Registration

The workshop is being held in person in 1008 Cathedral of Learning on Saturday, January 28th.

Invited speakers:

Collin Rice (Colorado State University) 

Julia Bursten (University of Kentucky) 

Jim Woodward (University of Pittsburgh) 

Porter Williams (University of Pittsburgh)

Tentative Schedule:

Saturday 1/28

• (9:00am – 9:20am) Bagels and Coffee in Room 1117
• (9:30am–10:45am) Collin Rice
  • “Bargaining with the Devil: Why are mesoscale variables the ‘right variables’?”
• (11:00am–12:15pm) Julia Bursten
  • “Clowns to the left of Bob, Jokers to the Right: Classifying from the Middle Out”
• Break
• (2:00pm–3:15pm) Porter Williams
• (3:30pm–4:45pm) Jim Woodward
  • Batter(man)ing Fundamentalism: Reflections on Autonomy, Reduction and the Meso-scale in A Middle Way

Please check out Jim Woodward’s comments on Bob’s Book on the PhilSci Archive: See them here!

Register Here:  LINK

Organizing committee:

Mark Wilson, University of Pittsburgh

David Wallace, University of Pittsburgh

Travis McKenna, University of Pittsburgh