I am an assistant 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. My interests are primarily in the philosophy of physics, the philosophy of science, the metaphysics of science, and the history of physics. 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
The conventionality of real valued quantities. (with Marissa Bennett) Preprint |
Cluster decompostion and entanglement. (with John Dougherty and Porter Williams) |
On the common structure of perturbative and axiomatic field theory for Borel summable models. |
The applicability of mathematics as a scientific problem. |
Why are there ultraviolet divergences at all? (with James Fraser) |
Recent Publications*
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
Mathematical structure and empirical content. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2023) 74(2). 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. |
The origins of Schwinger's Euclidean Green's functions, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics (2015) 50:5-12. 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.
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
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. |
Past Courses*
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
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. |
PHL 355: Philosophy of Science W20. |
Logic and Philosophy of Science
I am the organizer of the University of Toronto Logic and Philosophy of Science interest group. Notice of our events will be made available on the events calendar.
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.
Philsci-Archive
I am member of the Board of Philsci-Archive, an online repository for preprints in the Philosophy of Science. I am currently managing our Conferences and Volumes section and serving as the Editorial Chair for the archive.
Conference Organization
*A complete list can be found on my C.V.
"Between Discrete and Continuous Time", Foundations Symposium, July 2023. |
Philosophy of Quantum Field Theory Conference. Western University, May 29-June 1 2023. |
"Why the Quantum?", CPA Symposium, May 29-June 1 2023. |
Scientific Understanding and Representation. University of Toronto, May 19-20 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 15-16 2019. |
Society for the Metaphysics of Science. University of Toronto, November 7-9 2019. |
Quantum Field Theory Then and Now. University of Pittsburgh, April 12-13 2019. |
Early Career History and Philosophy of Physics Workshop. University of Pittsburgh, April 11-12 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