Chuang Liu, Ph.D.

Website

https://philosophy.fudan.edu.cn/f9/5d/c14253a260445/page.htm

Areas of Specialization

• Philosophy of Physics
• Philosophy of Science

Dr. Liu retired from UF in 2017. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Fudan University in Shanghai. For up-to-date information on talks and publications, please see his Fudan University page.

Books

2016. Substance and Method: Papers in Philosophy of Science. Singapore: World Scientific, 2016.
(with G. Emch) The Logic of Thermo-Statistical Physics. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2002.

Edited Volume

(With G. C. Guo)(eds) Scientific Explanation and Methodology of Science. Singapore: World Scientific, 2013.

Selected Publications

2016. "Against a New Fictionalism: A Hybrid View of Scientific Models", International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 30: 39-54
2015. "Re-inflating the Conception of Scientific Representation," International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 29: 41-59.
2015. "Symbolic vs. Modelistic Elements in Scientific Modeling" Theoria 30: 287-300.
2013. "Models, Fiction, and Fictional Models," G. C. Guo and C. Liu (eds.) Proceedings of SEMS 2012: Scientific Explanation and Methodology of Science, World Scientific, Singapore, 107-127.
2013. "Deflationism on Scientific Representation," V. Karakostas and D. Dieks (eds.), [EPSA11 Perspectives and Foundational Problems in Philosophy of Science], Switzerland, Springer International Publishing, 93-102.
2012. "A Study of Model and Representation Based on a Duhemian Theme," in [Philosophy and Cognitive Science, SAPERE 2]. L. Magnani and P. Li (eds.), Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp 115-141.
2012. "Variations on a Theme by Duhem," translated to Chinese, Review of Science and Culture (Beijing, China). 9(5): 5-32.
2012 "Tian Ren He Yi: an ontology for a quantum world" in Journal of East-West Thought, (IAEWS: Pomona, CA, 2012) vol. 1, no. 2, 123-133.
2010. "A Fresh Look at Anti-Realism (II)," Review of Science and Culture. 7(4): 5 -25 (in Chinese).
2010. "A Fresh Look at Anti-Realism (I)," Review of Science and Culture. 7(3): 21-37 (in Chinese).
2010. "Answers to Six Questions," in Philosophy and Physics 5+1 Questions, J.Ferret and J.Symons (eds), Automatic Press/VIP, 93-103.
2009. "Confirming Idealized Theories and Scientific Realism," Duoyuan: Philosophical Review (in Chinese), 236-250.
2009. "How We May Be Free from Physics," Chinese Journal of Foreign Philosophy, 20: 99-148.
2008. "What Is the Environmental Problem?" Science and Culture Review, 5 (2): 69-77 (in Chinese).
2007. "Why did Planck Support Special Relativity," Science and Culture Review, 4 (2): 5-15 (in Chinese).
2005. "Idealization: Getting Scientific Laws by Carving Nature at Its Joints," Chinese Journal of Foreign Philosophy 17: 251-279.
2005. "Review: Symmetries in Physics: Philosophical Reflections (CUP, 2003)" International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 19: 85-88.
2005. (with G. Emch) "Explaining Quantum Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking," Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 36: 137-163.
2004. "Approximations, Idealizations, and Models in Statistical Mechanics," Erkenntnis 60: 235-263.
2004. "Laws and Models in a Theory of Idealization," Synthese 138: 363-385.
2003. "Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking and Chance in Classical World," Philosophy of Science 70: 590-608.
1999. "Explaining the Emergence of Cooperative Phenomena," Philosophy of Science 66(S): S92-S106.
1996. "Potential, Propensity and Categorical Realism," Erkenntnis 45: 45-68.
1994. "The Aharonov-Bohm Effect and the Reality of Wave Packets," British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 45: 977-1000.
1993. "The Arrow of Time in Quantum Gravity," Philosophy of Science 60: 619-637.
1992. "Einstein and Relativistic Thermodynamics in 1952," British Journal for the History of Science 25: 185-206.

Selected Presentations

2016. "Fictionalism on Models and Fictional Models in Science," given at the Pacific APA, March 30 - April 3, San Francisco, CA.
2015. "Against a New Fictionalism on Scientific Models," presented at the 17th National Conference on Philosophy of Science, Shanghai, August 14-16.
2015. "Scientific Modeling and Fictionalism," presented at the 15th Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, Helsinki, August 3-9.
2015. "Foundations of Quantum Physics," Pitt-Tsinghua Lecture Series (five-lectures), Beijing, China, July 11-13, 15-16.
2011. "Anti-Deflationism in Scientific Representation," presented at the 3rd Conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association, Athens, October 5-8.
2011. "Variations on a Theme by Duhem," presented at the 3rd International Coference on Philosophy and Cognitive Science (PCS2011), Guangzhou, China, May 26-27.
2010. "Nationalized Morality: Rationalist or Sentimentalist?" presented at the International Conference on Value and Morality, Beijing, China, Oct. 20-23.
2010. "Naturalized Morality: Explanation or Justification?" outline presented at the Oxford Workshop on Evolution and Morality, Oxford, UK, Jan. 18-28.
2008. "Idealization and Scientific Realism," invited lecture at the international conference: Idealization, Abstraction, and Scientific Methods, at Departamento de Filosofia, Uiversidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, July 1-2.
2008. "Quantum measurement as spontaneous symmetry breaking," invited lecture at the international conference: Symmetry as a Modern Scientific Concept: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives, at the Lorentz Center, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands, March 11-14.
2007. "The emergence of the classical world at the thermodynamic limit," presented at Boston Colloquium for Philosophy of Science: Explanation in Physics, Boston University, April 16.
2007. "Confirming idealized theories and scientific realism," presented at the LSE - Pittsburgh Joint Conference 'Confirmation, Induction and Science,' London School of Economic, March 8-10.
2006. "Approximation and its Measures," the History and Philosophy of Science Lecture, delivered at the Department of Philosophy, Beijing University, Beijing, May 19.
2006. "Idealization and Laws of Nature," delivered at Department of Philosophy, the University of Caldas, Manizales, Colombia, June 8, 2006.
2006. "Quantum Logic and Postmodernism," given at a joint session with Department of Philosophy and Department of Economics, the University of Caldas, Manizales, Colombia, June 10, 2006.
2006. "Problems and Issues in Philosophy of Science," a lecture series delivered at Philosophy Department, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, May 8 - 21.
2006. "On the Concept of 'Carving Nature at its Joints'," the Humanities & Science Lecture, delivered at the College of Philosophy and Humanities, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, May 14.
2006. "Coins and Electrons: a Unified Understanding of Probabilistic Objects," the Philosophy Salon Lecture, delivered at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, May 12.
2005. "Approximation and Its Measures," delivered at the Philosophy Department, Wuhan University, Wuhan, June 8.
2005. "Chance and Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking," delivered at the Philosophy Department, Central China University of Science and Technology , Wuhan, June 7.
2005. "Parfit and Foundations of Social Sciences," a lecture series delivered at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, May 31 - June 6.
2004. "Approximation and Its Measures," delivered at Séminaire du REHSEIS: histoire et philosophie de la physique (2004-2005): Les raisons de l’à-peu-prés, Université de Paris 7-Denis Diderot, November 9.
2002. "Chance and Spontaneous Symmetry-Breaking," presented at the APA Eastern Division meeting, Philadelphia, December 29.
2002. "Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking: Its Meaning from a Simple Mechanical Model," presented at the biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA), Milwaukee, November 7-10.
2000. "Infinite Systems in SM Explanations: Thermodynamic Limit, Renormalization (semi-) Groups, and Irreversibility," presented at the biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA), Vancouver, BC, November 2-5.
2000. "Laws and Carving Nature at its Joints," delivered at at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, June 6.
2000. "Coordination of Space and Unity of Science," delivered at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing, June 7.
2000. "Laws and Carving Nature at its Joints," delivered at the Department of Philosophy, Beijing University, Beijing, June 8.

Awards

NSF Grant: SES, NSF 05-588 (2006): Quantum measurement at the limit? Idealization, emergence, and spontaneous symmetry breaking.
NSF Grant: STS, NSF 97-142 (2000): Idealization and idealized models in thermo-statistical physics.