Forschungsfeld und Lehre

  • Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Philosophie der Physik
  • Philosophie der Klimawissenschaften
  • Epistemologie
  • Metaphysik

SNF-Professur Forschungsprojekt:

The epistemology of climate change
Philosophy of science perspective on the climate challenge

philoclimate.ch

Publications

Philosophy of science and the climate / global environmental challenges

Forth.

Lam, V. Philosophy of climate science. Forthcoming in F. Padovani and A. T. Tuboly (eds.),
Routledge Handbook of the History of Philosophy of Science. Abingdon: Routledge.
[Preprint]

2024

Lam, V. and Rousselot, Y. Anthropocene, planetary boundaries and tipping points: interdisciplinarity and values in Earth system science. European Journal for Philosophy of Science.
Link  [Preprint]

2023

Jebeile, J., Lam, V., Majszak, M. and Räz, T. Machine Learning and the Quest for Objectivity in Climate Model Parameterization. Climatic Change, 176
Link

2023

Lam, V. Abrupt Climate Changes and Tipping Points: Epistemic and Methodological Issues. In G. Pellegrino and M. Di Paolla (eds.), Handbook of Philosophy of Climate Change. Cham: Springer, doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16960-2_118-1
[Preprint]

2022

Lam, V. and Majszak, M. Climate tipping points and expert judgment. WIREs Climate Change
Link

2021

Lam, V. Climate modelling and structural stability. European Journal for Philosophy of Science,
Link [Preprint]

2020

Jebeile, J., Lam, V. and Räz, T. Understanding Climate Change with Statistical Downscaling and Machine Learning. Synthese
Link [Preprint]

2020

Lam, V. Review of ‘Philosophy and Climate Science’ by Eric Winsberg (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018). Philosophy of Science, [Link].

Philosophy of physics and metaphysics

Forth.

Lam, V. and Oriti, D. The quantum gravity seeds for laws of nature. Forthcoming in European Journal for Philosophy of Science. [Preprint]

2024

Jaramillo, J. L. and Lam, V. Asymptotic Reasoning and Universality in (Space)Time Dynamics. In S. De Bianchi, M. Forgione and L. Marongiu (eds.), Time and Timelessness in Fundamental Physics and Cosmology. Cham: Springer, 145-167.
[Preprint_ger.pdf]

2023

Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. Laws beyond spacetime. Synthese
Link

2022

Lam, V. , Letertre, L. and Mariani, C. Quantum Metaphysics and the Foundations of Spacetime. In A. Vassallo (ed.), The Foundations of Spacetime Physics: Philosophical Perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, 197-222.
Link [Preprint]

2021

Jaramillo, J. L. and Lam, V. Counterfactuals in the initial value formulation of general relativity. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. 
Link [Preprint]

2021

Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. Spacetime functionalism from a realist perspective. Synthese
Link [Preprint]

2018

Lam, V. Review of ‘Naturgesetze in einer kausalen Welt’ by Andreas Bartels (Münster: mentis, 2015). Journal for General Philosophy of Science 49: 145-148.

2018

Lam, V. and Sachse, C. Editorial – Change in Science. Lato Sensu 5: 1-3.

2018

Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. Spacetime is as spacetime does. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 64:39-51.
Link [Preprint]

2017

Lam, V. Structuralism in the philosophy of physics. Philosophy Compass, 12: e12421.
Link

2017

Egg, M., Lam, V. and Oldofredi, A. Particles, Cutoffs and Inequivalent Representations. Foundations of Physics 47: 453-466.
Link [Preprint]

2017

Esfeld, M., Lazarovici, D., Lam, V. and Hubert, M. The Physics and Metaphysics of Primitive Stuff. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 68: 133-161.
Link [Preprint]

2015

Lam, V. Primitive ontology and quantum field theory. European Journal for Philosophy of Science 5: 387-397.
Link [Preprint]

2015

Lam, V. Quantum structure and spacetime. In T. Bigaj and C. Wüthrich (eds.), Metaphysics in Contemporary Physics. New York: Rodopi, 209-228.

2015

Lam, V. Review of ‘Discrete or Continuous? The Quest for Fundamental Length in Modern Physics’ by Amit Hagar (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.

2015

Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. No categorial support for radical ontic structural realism. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 66: 605-634.
Link [Preprint]

2014

Lam, V. Entities without intrinsic physical identity. Erkenntnis 79: 1157-1171.
Link [Preprint]

2014

Lam, V. Protective measurements and the status of the wave function within the primitive ontology approach. In S. Gao (ed.), Protective Measurement and Quantum Reality : Toward a New Understanding of Quantum Mechanics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 195-210.

2013

Lam, V. The entanglement structure of quantum field systems. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 27: 59-72.
Link [Preprint]

2013

Lam, V. Aspects structuraux de l’espace-temps dans la théorie de la relativité générale. In S. Le Bihan (ed.), Précis de Philosophie de la Physique. Paris: Vuibert, 204-221.

2013

Lam, V. and Esfeld, M. A dilemma for the emergence of spacetime in canonical quantum gravity. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 44: 286-293.
Link [Preprint]

2012

Lam, V. and Esfeld, M. The structural metaphysics of quantum theory and general relativity. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 43: 243-258.
Link

2012

Lam, V. Review of ‘From Current Algebra to Quantum Chromodynamics’ by Tian Yu Cao (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010). Philosophy in Review 32: 447-449.

2012

Lam, V. Review of ‘Geometric Possibility’ by Gordon Belot (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 26: 227-230.

2011

Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Ontic structural realism as a metaphysics of objects. In P. Bokulich and A. Bokulich (eds.), Scientific Structuralism. Dordrecht: Springer, 143-159.

2011

Lam, V. Gravitational and non-gravitational energy: the need for background structures. Philosophy of Science 78: 1012-1023.
Link [Preprint]

2010

Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Holism and structural realism. In R. Vanderbeeken and B. D’Hooghe (eds.), Worldviews, science and us: Studies of analytical metaphysics. A selection of topics from a methodological perspective. Singapore: World Scientific, 10-31.

2010

Lam, V. Metaphysics of causation and physics of general relativity. In C. Calosi (ed.), Physics and Metaphysics. Pisa: Edizioni ETS, 61-80.

2009

Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Structures as the objects of fundamental physics. In U. Feest and H.-J. Rheinberger (eds.), Epistemic Objects. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science 374: 3-16.

2009

Lam, V. Métaphysique de la causalité et physique de la relativité générale. Klesis 13, 106-122.

2008

Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Moderate structural realism about space-time. Synthese 160: 27-46.
Link [Preprint]

2008

Lam, V. Structural aspects of the singular feature of space-time. In D. Dieks (ed.), Ontology of Spacetime. Philosophy and Foundations of Physics Series. Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 111-131.

2007

Lam, V. The singular nature of space-time. Philosophy of Science 74: 712-723.
Link [Preprint]

2006

Lam, V. Is a world only made up of relations possible? A structural realist point of view. In M. Esfeld (ed.), John Heil. Symposium on his ontological point of view. Frankfurt: Ontos, 111-120.

2005

Lam, V. Causation and Space-time. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 27: 483-499.