Dr Vincent Lam

Honorary Research Fellow

School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Overview

Research Interests

  • Foundational issues in general relativity and quantum theory
  • Philosophy of space and time
  • Philosophy of physics
  • Philosophy of science
  • Metaphysics
  • Epistemology
  • Philosophy of mind
  • Logic
  • Causation

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Lausanne
  • Masters (Coursework), University of Lausanne

Publications

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Grants

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Publications

Book Chapter

  • Lam, Vincent (2023). Abrupt climate changes and tipping points: epistemic and methodological issues. Handbook of philosophy of climate change. (pp. 105-123) edited by Gianfranco Pellegrino and Marcello Di Paola. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-16960-2_118-1

  • Lam, Vincent, Letertre, Laurie and Mariani, Cristian (2022). Quantum metaphysics and the foundations of spacetime. The foundations of spacetime physics. (pp. 197-222) edited by Antonio Vassallo. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003219019-11

  • Lam, Vincent (2016). Quantum structure and spacetime. Metaphysics in contemporary physics. (pp. 81-99) edited by Tomasz Bigaj and Christian Wüthrich. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Rodopi. doi: 10.1163/9789004310827_005

  • Lam, Vincent (2014). Protective measurement and the nature of the wave function within the primitive ontology approach. Protective measurement and quantum reality: towards a new understanding of quantum mechanics. (pp. 195-210) edited by Shan Gao. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

  • Lam, Vincent (2013). Aspects structuraux de l'espace-temps dans la theorie de la relativite generale. Précis de Philosophie de la Physique. (pp. 204-221) edited by Soazig Le Bihan. Paris, France: Vuibert.

  • Esfeld, Michael and Lam, Vincent (2011). Ontic stuctural realism as a metaphysics of objects. Scientific structuralism. (pp. 143-159) edited by Peter Bokulich and Alisa Bokulich. Dordrecht, Germany: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-90-481-9597-8

  • Esfeld, Michael and Lam, Vincent (2010). Holism and structural realism. Worldviews, science and us: Studies of analytical metaphysics. A selection of topics from a methodological perspective. (pp. 10-31) edited by Robrecht Vanderbeeken and Bart D’Hooghe. Hackensack, NJ, U.S.A.: World Scientific Publishing.

  • Esfeld, Michael and Lam, Vincent (2009). Structures as the objects of fundamental physics. Epistemic objects : [research colloquium: "Epistemic objects", May 16 - 17th 2008, Technische Universität Berlin]. (pp. 3-16) edited by Uljana Feest, Hans-Jörg Rheinberger and Günter Abel. Berlin: Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

  • Lam, Vincent (2008). Structural aspects of the singular feature of space-time. The ontology of spacetime II. (pp. 111-131) edited by Dennis Geert Bernardus and Johan Dieks. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

  • Lam, Vincent (2006). Is a world only made up of relations possible? A structural realist point of view. John Heil symposium on his ontological point of view. (pp. 111-120) edited by John Heil and Michael Esfeld. Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Lam, Vincent (2011). Gravitational and nongravitational energy: The need for background structures. Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association (22nd, PSA, 2010), Montréal, QC, Canada, 4-6 November 2010. Chicago, IL, United States: University of Chicago Press. doi: 10.1086/662260

  • Lam, Vincent (2007). The singular nature of spacetime. PSA 2006: Philosophy of Science Association Twentieth Biennial Meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2-4 November 2006. Chicago, IL, United States: University of Chicago Press. doi: 10.1086/525616

Grants (Administered at UQ)