Philosophy

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.