I am an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. I completed my Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Before that, I completed an M.A. in the Foundations of Physics at Columbia University, and a B.A. in Physics and Philosophy at the University of Chicago. I am interested in the philosophy of physics, the philosophy of science, and metaphysics, among other things. CV.
Research
My research is focused on reconceptualizing how mathematics functions as a language for describing empirical phenomena. I look to apparent mathematical deficiencies of scientific theories and construe them as hints about how the theory represents the world. Rather than obstacles to interpretation, the breakdowns of mathematical consistency that arise in the course of scientific theorizing often are the best sources of information about how mathematical structures capture physical meaning. Recognizing this motivates important modifications to standard accounts of the ontological committments warranted by a theory's empirical success. My recent work addresses these themes in the context of fundamental particle physics.
Manuscripts
On the common structure of perturbative and axiomatic field theory for Borel summable models. |
Why are there ultraviolet divergences at all? (with James Fraser) |
Separating states break state history underdetermination. (with Ding Jia) |
The Framework of Quantum Field Theory. Under contract for the Cambridge Elements Series in The Foundations of Contemporary Physics, edited by Richard Dawid and James Wells. Expected 2025, CUP. |
Recent Publications*
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
From Classical to Quantum Indeterminacy, And Back. (with Patrick Fraser) Philosophy of Science (forthcoming) Preprint. |
The conventionality of real valued quantities. (with Marissa Bennett) Philosophy of Science (2024) 91(5): 1274 - 1284. Preprint / Journal. |
Cluster decompostion and two senses of isolability. (with Porter Williams and John Dougherty) Philosophy of Physics (2024) 2(1): 12, 1-38. Preprint / Journal |
Mathematical structure and empirical content. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2023) 74(2): 511-532. Preprint / Journal. |
Worldly imprecision. Philosophical Studies (2021) 178: 2895–2911. Preprint / Journal. |
Infrared cancellation and measurement. Philosophy of Science (2021) 88: 1125 - 1136. Preprint / Journal. |
Haag's theorem, apparent inconsistency, and the empirical adequacy of quantum field theory. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2018) 69(3):801-820. Preprint / Journal. |
Reviews
From Scales to Levels Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science (2022) 97:126-127. Review of Robert Batterman: A Middle Way. Preprint / Journal. |
What, if anything, does quantum field theory explain? Metascience (2017) 26:455-457. Review of Jonathan Bain: CPT invariance and the spin-statistics connection. Preprint / Journal. |
Recent and Upcoming Talks*
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
Epistemic and Semantic Effective Realism
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Representing Quantum Indeterminacy
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Precision and Quantum Metaphysical Indeterminacy (with Patrick Fraser)
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Merely Dense Time in the Representational Theory of Measurement (with Marissa Bennett)
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Why Go Effective? (with James Fraser)
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Naturalness, Renormalization, and Fundamentality
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On the Common Structure of Perturbative and Axiomatic Field Theory in Borel Summable Models
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The Conventionality of Real Valued Quantities (with Marissa Bennett)
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A Philosopher Looks at Epstein-Glaser Renormalization
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The (Un?)reasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences
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Approximations to What Exactly?
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Quantum Determinables
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Cluster Decomposition and Entanglement
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Whence Distributions?
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Upcoming Courses
Past Courses*
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
PHL 255: Introduction to Philosophy of Science W24. |
PHL 198: Philosophy of Time W24. |
PHL 2198: Advanced Intro. to Philosophy of Science F23. |
PHL 356: Philosophy of Physics F23. |
PHL 198: Philosophy of Time W23. |
PHL 455: Seminar in Philosophy of Science W23. |
PHL 356: Philosophy of Physics W22. |
PHL 198: Philosophy of Time F21. |
PHL 2198: Advanced Intro. to Philosophy of Science F21. |
PHL 198: Philosophy of Time W21. |
PHL 355: Philosophy of Science W21. |
PHL 2105: Quantum Metaphysics (with Trevor Teitel) W21. |
PHL 198: Philosophy of Time F20. |
PHL 356: Philosophy of Physics F20. |
MA in Philosophy of Science
The philosophy department hosts a dedicated Philosophy of Science stream in its funded MA program. You can find details about how to apply on the department website. If you have questions about the program, do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Undergraduate Specialist Programs
The University of Toronto has undergraduate specialist programs in Physics and Philosophy as well as in Mathematics and Philosophy. If you have questions about the philosophy components of either of these programs do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
Conference Organization
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
"Discreteness and Precision in Physics", Toronto-CNRS Workshop, IHPST Paris, November 2023. |
"Between Discrete and Continuous Time", Foundations Symposium, July 2023. |
Philosophy of Quantum Field Theory Conference. Western University, May 2023. |
"Why the Quantum?", CPA Symposium, May 29-June 1 2023. |
Scientific Understanding and Representation. University of Toronto, May 2023. |
"The Representational Theory of Measurement and Physical Quantities", PSA Symposium, November 2022. |
"The Representational Theory of Measurement and Physical Quantities", CPA Symposium, May 2022. |
Foundations of Physics Conference. Columbia University, November 2019. |
Society for the Metaphysics of Science. University of Toronto, November 2019. |
Quantum Field Theory Then and Now. University of Pittsburgh, April 2019. |
Early Career History and Philosophy of Physics Workshop. University of Pittsburgh, April 2019. |
Contact
Email: mike.miller@utoronto.ca Office: 514 Jackman Humanities Building
Mailing Address: University of Toronto Department of Philosophy Jackman Humanities Building, 4th Floor 170 St. George Street Toronto, ON M5R 2M8 CANADA
orcid.org/0000-0003-1144-9711