Curriculum Vitæ

David B. Malament

 
Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science Phone, voice mail:  949-824-7374 
3151 Social Science Plaza
University of California at Irvine http://www.lps.uci.edu/home/fac-staff/faculty/malament/
Irvine, CA  92697-5100

Education

Columbia College, B.A.  1968  (major: mathematics)
Rockefeller University, Ph.D.  1975  (philosophy)

Principal Academic Honors and Fellowships

Graduate:
Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
Fullbright Fellowship at the Free University of Berlin, 1968-1969

Postgraduate:
    N.S.F. Research Fellowship, 1979-1980
    Whitehead Lecturer at Harvard, Fall 1980
    Fellow at the Center for the Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, Fall 1983
N.S.F. Research Fellowship, 1986-1987
Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, 1989-1990
Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at the University of Chicago, June 1991
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Spring 1992

University Appointments

Fall 1975-Fall 1978  Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago 
Spring 1977  Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University 
Fall 1978-Fall 1982  Associate Professor of Philosophy (with tenure) at the University of Chicago 
Fall 1982-Fall 1989  Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago 
Fall 1989-Spring 1999  David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor at the University of Chicago 
Fall 1995-Spring 1998  Chair of the Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science (a Ph.D. granting program) at the University of Chicago 
Fall 1998  Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Carnegie-Mellon University 
Fall 1999-present  Distinguished Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Irvine 

Major Professional Service

Editorial Board, Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 1995-present
Visiting Committee for the Department of Philosophy, Harvard University, Winter 1987, Fall 1989
Visiting Committee for the Department of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, Spring 1987
Visiting Committee for the Department of Philosophy, McGill University, Fall 1992
Governing Board of the Philosophy of Science Association, 1988-1989, 2000-2001
Member of the Philosophy Section Panel of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (advising on membership), 2006-present

Bibliography:

Books:

    (editor) Reading Natural Philosophy (Essays Dedicated to Howard Stein on His 70th Birthday), Open Court Press, 2002.

Articles:

  1. "Selective Conscientious Objection and the Gillette Decision", Philosophy and Public Affairs, vol. 1, no. 4, 1972
    2. reprinted in Cohen, M., Nagel, T., and Scanlon, T. (eds.), War and Moral Responsibility, Princeton University Press, 1974.
    [JSTOR eprint]
     
  2. Article length review of Space, Time, and Spacetime by Lawrence Sklar, The Journal of Philosophy , vol. LXII, no. 11, 1976.
    3. [JSTOR eprint]
     
  3. "Observationally Indistinguishable Spacetimes", in Earman, J., Glymour, C., Stachel, J. Foundations of Space-Time Theories, University of Minnesota Press, 1977.
    [eprint]
    4.  
  4. "The Class of Continuous Timelike Curves Determines the Topology of Spacetime", The Journal of Mathematical Physics, vol. 18, no. 7, 1977.
    5. [eprint]
     
  5. "Causal Theories of Time and the Conventionality of Simultaneity", Noûs, vol. 11, no. 3, 1977.
    6. [JSTOR eprint]
     
  6. (with Sandy Zabell) "Why Gibbs Phase Averages Work--The Role of Ergodic Theory", Philosophy of Science , vol. 47, no. 3, 1980.
    7. [JSTOR eprint]
     
  7. Article length review of Science Without Numbers by Hartry Field, The Journal of Philosophy , vol. LXXIX, no. 9, 1982.
    8. reprinted in Resnik, M. (ed.) Mathematical Objects and Mathematical Knowledge in the International Research Library of Philosophy, Dartmouth Publishing Co., 1995.
    [JSTOR eprint]
     
  8. "Minimal Acceleration Requirements for `Time Travel' in Gödel Spacetime", The Journal of Mathematical Physics, vol. 26, no. 4, 1985.
    9. [eprint]
     
  9. "A Modest Remark on Reichenbach, Rotation, and General Relativity", Philosophy of Science, vol. 52, no. 4, 1985.
    10. reprinted in Butterfield, J., Hogarth, M., and Belot, G. (eds.) Spacetimein the International Research Library of Philosophy, Dartmouth Publishing Co., 1996.
    [JSTOR eprint]
     
  10. "Newtonian Gravity, Limits, and the Geometry of Space", in Colodny, R. (ed), From Quarks to Quasars University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986.
    11.  
  11. "Gravity and Spatial Geometry", in Marcus, R. et al (eds.) Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science VII (proceedings of the 1983 Salzburg Congress), Elsevier Science Publishers, 1986.
    [eprint]
    12.  
  12. "Time Travel in the Gödel Universe", PSA 1984, vol. 2 (proceedings of the Philosophy of Science Association meetings, Chicago, 1984), 1986.
    13. [JSTOR eprint]
     
  13. "A Note About Closed Timelike Curves in Gödel Spacetime", The Journal of Mathematical Physics , vol. 28, no. 10, 1987.
    14.  
  14. "Critical Notice: Quantum Probability--Quantum Logic", Philosophy of Science , vol. 59, no. 2, 1992.
    15. [JSTOR eprint]
      
  15. Introductory essay to a previously unpublished lecture by Kurt Gödel on "rotating universes" in volume III of Gödel, Kurt, Collected Works, ed. S. Feferman et al , Oxford University Press, 1995.
    [eprint]
    16.  
  16. "Is Newtonian Cosmology Really Inconsistent?", Philosophy of Science, vol. 62, no. 4, 1995.
    17. [JSTOR eprint]
     
  17. "In Defense of Dogma -- Why There Cannot Be a Relativistic Quantum Mechanical Theory of (Localizable) Particles", in Clifton, R. (ed.), Perspectives on Quantum Reality , Kluwer, 1996.
    [eprint] 
    18.  
  18. "A No-Go Theorem About Rotation in Relativity Theory ", in Malament, D. (ed.), Reading Natural Philosophy (Essays Dedicated to Howard Stein on His 70th Birthday), Open Court Press, Chicago, 2002.
    19. [eprint]
  19. "On Relative Orbital Rotation in General Relativity", in Ashtekar, A. (ed.), Revisiting the Foundations of Relativistic Physics: A Festschrift for John Stachel, Kluwer, 2003.
    [preprint]

  20. "On the Time Reversal Invariance of Classical Electromagnetic Theory", Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, vol. 35, no. 2, 2004.
    [eprint] 

  21. "Classical General Relativity", in Butterfield, J. and Earman, J. (eds.),  Handbook of the Philosophy of Science. Volume 2: Philosophy of Physics, Elsevier, 2006.
    [preprint]  

  22. "Norton's Slippery Slope", to appear in  Philosophy of Science.
    [preprint]


Book Project

I am presently trying to write a book on the foundations of relativity theory and spacetime geometry that is intended to be something in-between a textbook and a research monograph. In addition to more standard topics, it will treat, at some length: (1) the so-called "geometrized formulation" of Newtonian gravitation theory and Newtonian cosmology; (2) Gödel's contributions to general relativity; (3) certain "paradoxical" features of rotation and relative rotation in general relativity; and several other special topics.

Principal Recent Invited Lectures

        Conference on Relativistic Quantum Mechanics at the University of Western Ontario, Fall 1994
                "In Defense of Dogma--Why There Cannot Be a Relativistic Quantum Mechanical Theory of (Localizable) Particles"

    University of Florence, Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, Fall 1994
    "In Defense of Dogma--Why There Cannot Be a Relativistic Quantum Mechanical Theory of (Localizable) Particles

    Conference to honor Clark Glymour at Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 1995<>
        "In Defense of Dogma--Why There Cannot Be a Relativistic Quantum Mechanical Theory of (Localizable) Particles".

    Center for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences, The London School of Economics and Political Science (three lectures), Spring 1995.
        (1) "Is Newtonian Cosmology Really Inconsistent"
        (2) "In Defense of Dogma--Why There Cannot be a Relativistic Quantum Mechanical Theory of (Localizable) Particles"
        (3) "On the Geometry of Time Travel in Gödel's Universe"
        Sigma Club Conference at Cambridge University (UK), Spring 1995
    "Is Newtonian Cosmology Really Inconsistent?"

    Department of Physics Colloquium, University of Chicago, November 30, 1995
    "Is Newtonian Cosmology Really Inconsistent?"

    Department of Mathematics Colloquium, University of Chicago, February 2, 1996
    "On Time Travel in Gödel's Universe"

    Workshop on the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Chicago, February 23, 1996
    "A Remark About Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    Conference on "Fundamental Problems in Relativity and Cosmology" at the University of Western Ontario, March 30, 1996
         "A Remark About Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    Symposium on "The Philosophy of Abner Shimony", Western Division meetings of the American Philosophical Association, April 26, 1996
    "Hidden Variable Theories and `Quantum Probability'"

    Center for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences, The London School of Economics and Political Science, June 18, 1996
    "Hidden Variable Theories and `Quantum Probability'"

    Conference at the University of California, Irvine on the "Philosophy of Applied Mathematics", March 5-8, 1998
    "How to Think About Rotation: From Physical Intuition to Mathematical Representation and Back Again"

    Conference at the University of Western Ontario, April 1998
    "Yet More About Rotation in General Relativity"

    Center for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences, The London School of Economics and Political Science, June 25, 1998
    "Two Senses of Rotation in General Relativity"

    Philosophy of Physics Seminar, Oxford University, June 26, 1998
    "Two Senses of Rotation in General Relativity"

    UC San Diego, Philosophy Department colloquium, October 2, 1998
    "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon Universities, Joint Colloquium of the two Physics Departments, October 12, 1998
    "On the Geometry of `Time Travel' in Gödel's Universe"

    UCI Joint Colloquium of the Mathematics and Physics Departments, October 30, 1998
    "On the Geometry of `Time Travel' in Gödel's Universe"

    UCLA, Philosophy Department colloquium, January 29, 1999
    "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    Keynote Speaker for Graduate Student Conference in Logic and Philosophy of Science at Carnegie Mellon University, March 6, 1999
    "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    Southern California Philosophy Conference at UC Irvine, October 30, 1999
    "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"
     
    Stanford Philosophy Department Colloquium, November 19, 1999
    "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

    Cal Tech, Division of Humanities and Social Science,  April 24, 2000
        "On the Geometry of `Time Travel' in Gödel's Universe"
          Syracuse University, talk sponsored jointly by the Philosophy and Physics Departments, October 13, 2000
                "A Remark About Rotation and Relative Rotation in General Relativity"

          Syracuse University, Physics Department, October 16, 2000
                 "On the Geometry of `Time Travel' in Gödel's Universe"  
    University of California at Davis, Philosophy Department Colloquium, May 18, 2001
    "A No-Go Theorem About Rotation in Relativity Theory"
     
    Howard Stein Lecture at the University of Chicago, sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies in Science, October 26, 2001
    "A No-Go Theorem About Rotation in Relativity Theory"

    New Directions in the Foundations of Physics:  A Memorial Conference for Rob Clifton, American  Institute for Physics, College Park, May 4, 2003
    "David Albert on the (Non) Time Reversal Invariance of Classical Electromagnetic Theory"

    Harvard University, Philosophy  Department, April 28, 2005
    "On Rotation in General Relativity"

    Irvine-Florence Colloquium on Logic and Philosophy of Science, April 1, 2006
    "On Rotation in General Relativity"

    Philosophy of Science Association meetings, Vancouver, CA, Symposium on "The Vagaries of Determinism and Indeterminism",  November 3, 2006
    "How to Think About John Norton's Dome Example"

    Conference on "Determinism in the Physical Sciences", UCLA, November 18, 2006
    "Norton's Slippery Slope"

        Conference to Celebrate the 65th Birthday of William Demopoulos, University of Western Ontario, May 4, 2008
    "How Space Can Be Finite"