Download Benjamin H. Feintzeig – Curriculum Vitae

Benjamin H. Feintzeig
Curriculum Vitae
3151 Social Science Plaza A
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
H (203) 414 9451
B [email protected]
Í sites.uci.edu/bfeintze
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Physics, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Probability
Areas of Competence
History of Science, Metaphysics & Epistemology, Logic & Philosophy of Mathematics
Education
2016 Ph.D. in Philosophy (LPS), The University of California, Irvine, Philosophy of
(expected) physics emphasis, Dissertation: “On Algebraic Methods in Quantum Theories".
Committee: James Weatherall (chair), Jeffrey Barrett, John Manchak, Kyle Stanford
2014 M.A. in Philosophy, The University of California, Irvine.
2011 B.A. in Physics & Philosophy, Dartmouth College, summa cum laude, Honors
Thesis: “Understanding Through Causation: A Four-Factor Approach to Scientific
Explanation".
Advisor: Adina Roskies, Second Reader: John Kulvicki
Publications
2015 “On Broken Symmetry and Classical Systems," forthcoming in Studies in the History
and Philosophy of Modern Physics.
2015 “Unitary Inequivalence in Classical Systems,” forthcoming in Synthese.
2015 “Toward an Understanding of Parochial Observables,” forthcoming in The British
Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
2015 “Hidden Variables and Incompatible Observables in Quantum Mechanics," forthcoming in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.
2014 “Can the ontological models framework accommodate Bohmian mechanics?" 2014.
Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics. 48A: 59-67.
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Selected Working Papers
{ “The Measurement Problem in Algebraic Quantum Theory.”
{ “On Noncontextual, Non-Kolmogorovian Hidden Variable Theories," with Samuel
Fletcher.
{ “The Geometry of the ‘Gauge Argument’," with James Weatherall.
{ “On Regularity and Normality," with John Manchak, Sarita Rosenstock, and
James Weatherall.
Honors & Awards
2014 Hanneke Janssen Memorial Prize for Master’s work in History and Foundations of
Physics, University of Nijmegen
2013-2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
2013 Justine Lambert Graduate Prize in the Foundations of Science for “Hidden Variables
and Incompatible Observables in Quantum Mechanics", University of California,
Irvine
2013 A. Kimball Romney Prize for “Hidden Variables and Incompatible Observables in
Quantum Mechanics", University of California, Irvine
2011-2016 Social Science Merit Fellowship, School of Social Sciences, University of California,
Irvine
2011
2011
2010
2008
Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
Story Prize for honors thesis in Philosophy, Dartmouth College
Rufus Choate Scholar, Dartmouth College
Waterhouse Research Award for work on magnetic multilayers, Dartmouth College
Presentations
Invited Presentations
12/2014 “Unitary Inequivalence in Classical Systems," Irvine-Munich Workshop on the Foundations of Classical and Quantum Field Theories, Munich Center for Mathematical
Philosophy.
Contributed Presentations
9/2015 “Unitary Inequivalence in Classical Systems," European Philosophy of Science Association, Dusseldorf.
4/2015 “Toward an Understanding of Parochial Observables," Graduate Workshop in Mathematical Philosophy, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy.
3/2015 “Symmetry Breaking in Classical Systems," Irvine-Princeton-Pittsburgh Conference
on the Mathematical and Conceptual Foundations of Physics, Princeton.
3/2014 “The Geometry of the Gauge Argument," Irvine-Princeton-Pittsburgh Conference on
the Mathematical and Conceptual Foundations of Physics, University of California,
Irvine.
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7/2013 “Hidden Variables and Commutativity in Quantum Mechanics," Foundations of
Physics, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy.
5/2013 “Hidden Variables and Commutativity in Quantum Mechanics," Philosophy of Logic,
Math, and Physics Graduate Conference, University of Western Ontario.
4/2013 “Hidden Variables and Commutativity in Quantum Mechanics," Irvine-PrincetonPittsburgh Conference on the Mathematical and Conceptual Foundations of Physics,
University of Pittsburgh.
10/2012 “Hidden Variables and Commutativity in Quantum Mechanics," Southern California
Philosophy of Physics Reading Group.
10/2010 “Disjunctive Definitions and the Reduction of Mendelian Genetics," N.N.E. Philosophical Association.
Teaching Experience
University of California, Irvine
{ Instructor
- LPS 60, Making Modern Science (Summer 2014)
{ Teaching Assistant
- LPS 30, Intro to Symbolic Logic (Winter 2012, Spring 2012)
- LPS 60, Making Modern Science (Summer 2012)
- Soc Sci H1G, Honors: Critical Issues (Fall 2012)
- Phil 4, Intro to Ethics (Winter 2013)
Professional and Academic Service
2014-2015 Graduate Student Representative, Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine.
2014 Session Chair, Philosophy of Science Association Biennial Meeting, Chicago, IL.
2013-2014 Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator, Department of Logic and Philosophy of
Science, University of California, Irvine.
Referee, Philosophy of Science, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science,
The European Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Studies in the History and
Philosophy of Modern Physics.
Affiliations
American Philosophical Association, European Philosophy of Science Association,
Philosophy of Science Association
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Dissertation Abstract: On Algebraic Methods in Quantum Theories
Philosophers of physics have long taken for granted that quantum systems are best represented
using mathematical objects known as Hilbert spaces. But the status of this orthodoxy has recently
been disputed. As philosophers like John Earman and Laura Ruetsche have observed, the situation
is more subtle for complex systems, such as the quantum fields underlying fundamental particle
physics. In these cases, one finds many inequivalent Hilbert space representations that appear
to be competing quantum theories, leaving interpreters at a loss. In response, two prominent
positions have emerged in the literature: either arbitrarily pick one Hilbert space representation
(out of the many competing representations) as a Hilbert Space Conservative, or else look for the
abstract algebraic structure that all representations have in common as an Algebraic Imperialist. My
dissertation argues for Algebraic Imperialism both as a way to make sense of the quantum theories
we already possess and as a way to proceed toward future physics.
The first chapter [“Unitary Inequivalence in Classical Systems," forthcoming in Synthese]
argues against Hilbert Space Conservatism. Ruetsche has previously argued that the Conservative
cannot represent all of the physically possible states of many systems. I show that this argument can
be made even more forcefully by pulling it back to the simpler context of classical physics. I apply to
classical physics the same mathematical tools of abstract algebras and Hilbert space representations
that are used in quantum physics. I show that in this context Hilbert Space Conservatism reduces
to absurdity because each Hilbert space representation can only describe a single state of the many
states the theory deems physically possible. I argue that even though classical physics may deserve a
different interpretation than quantum physics, the classical case drives home just how much physical
content can be lost when one insists on the mathematical framework of a Hilbert space.
The second chapter [“On Broken Symmetries and Classical Systems," forthcoming in SHPMP],
focuses on the phenomenon of symmetry breaking, a supposedly novel feature of quantum physics
in which inequivalent Hilbert space representations are claimed to play a fundamental role. While it
has been claimed that the presence of inequivalent representations gives rise to a number of puzzles
concerning equivalent and inequivalent physical possibilities, I argue that these puzzles dissolve when
we compare quantum symmetry breaking with the same phenomenon in classical systems. In the
process, I show that the Conservative’s understanding of symmetry breaking is at best misleading.
The third chapter [“Toward an Understanding of Parochial Observables," forthcoming in
BJPS] provides a solution to the primary outstanding problem with Algebraic Imperialism. Some
claim that we need the mathematical tools of Hilbert spaces to construct approximations and
idealizations that are essential for describing certain physical quantities, such as temperature and
net magnetization—quantities that Ruetsche calls ‘parochial observables’. It is claimed that the
Algebraic Imperialist does not have the resources to describe these physically significant properties
of quantum systems. However, I show to the contrary that the Algebraic Imperialist has access to
analogous tools for constructing approximations and idealizations that allow her to describe these
parochial observables without needing to make any choice of Hilbert space representation. Employing
these tools clarifies how the notions of state and quantity are conceptually and mathematically
intertwined in our best physical theories.
I also have ongoing projects along these lines. I have shown Algebraic Imperialism is adaptable—
an abstract algebra can be systematically altered to restrict its possible states without the use of
Hilbert spaces. And I am working to show that algebraic tools are widely applicable by using them
to analyze prominent foundational issues, such as the measurement problem and the reduction of
relativistic quantum field theory to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics in the appropriate limit.
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