Thomas Pashby is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy. He specializes in philosophy of physics with a particular interest in the interaction of physics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of science. He received his graduate training at the University of Pittsburgh, where he wrote his dissertation "Time and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" under the direction of John Earman and John D. Norton. He is currently engaged in research projects concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the relational theory of time, and structural realism. What connects these projects is the idea that modern physics is best interpreted within an event ontology, which is to say that (metaphysically speaking) events and processes are fundamental rather than objects and properties.
He is also interested in the history of this idea, which originates with Whitehead and Russell (in their post-Principia works). In this connection, he is working on a novel defense of Russell's structural realism and (with Riccardo Pinosio) on an updated version of Russell's relational theory of time in a form suited to relativistic spacetime. In the history of physics, he has a long-term project concerning Paul Dirac's discoveries in relativistic quantum theory and his use of projective geometry. He is a board member of the PhilSci-Archive, a free preprint server for philosophy of science.
Selected Publications
“How Do Things Persist? Location Relations in Physics and the Metaphysics of Persistence,” Dialetica 70, no. 3 (2016): 269–309
“Time and Quantum Theory: A History and a Prospectus,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 52 (2015): 24–38
“Reply to Fleming: Symmetries, Observables, and the Occurrence of Events,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 52 (2015): 44–47
“Taking Times Out: Tense Logic as a Theory of Time,” Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 50 (2015): 13–18.
“Do Quantum Objects Have Temporal Parts?” Philosophy of Science 80, no. 5 (2013): 1137–1147.
“Dirac’s Prediction of the Positron: A Case Study for the Current Realism Debate,” Perspectives on Science 20, no. 4 (2012): 440–75
Recent Courses
PHIL 22709 Introduction to Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
In this class we examine some of the conceptual problems associated with quantum mechanics. We will critically discuss some common interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, the many-worlds interpretation and Bohmian mechanics. We will also examine some implications of results in the foundations of quantum theory concerning non-locality, contextuality and realism. (B)
Prior knowledge of quantum mechanics is not required since we begin with an introduction to the formalism, but familiarity with matrices, freshman calculus and high school geometry will be presupposed.
PHIL 55100 The Development of Whitehead's Philosophy of Nature
In this course we will read Whitehead with the aim of understanding how he arrived at his mature views, i.e., the "philosophy of organism" expressed in Process and Reality (1929). The development of Whitehead's philosophy can be traced back to a planned fourth volume of Principia Mathematica (never completed) on space and time. This course will examine how these concerns with natural philosophy led Whitehead to develop his philosophy of organism. Beginning in the late 1910s, we will read over 10 years of published work by Whitehead, supplemented by recently discovered notes from his Harvard seminars 1924/25 and selected commentaries. (II)