Institute of Philosophy

Staff A-Z

Research and teaching areas

  • Philosophy of science and philosophy of physics
  • Philosophy of climate science
  • Epistemology
  • Metaphysics

SNF professorship research project:

The epistemology of climate change
Philosophy of science perspective on the climate challenge

philoclimate.ch

Other project:

The entanglement of physics and philosophy

Publications

Peer-reviewed journal articles

2023 Jebeile, J., Lam, V., Majszak, M. and Räz, T. Machine Learning and the Quest for Objectivity in Climate Model Parameterization. Accepted in Climatic Change.
2022 Lam, V. and Majszak, M. Climate tipping points and expert judgment. WIREs Climate Change, doi.org/10.1002/wcc.805
2021 Lam, V. Climate modelling and structural stability. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00414-0
[Preprint]
2020 Jebeile, J., Lam, V. and Räz, T. Understanding Climate Change with Statistical Downscaling and Machine Learning. Synthese, doi.org/10.1007/s11229-020-02865-z.
Link [Preprint]
2020 Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. Spacetime functionalism from a realist perspective. Synthese, doi.org/10.1007/s11229-020-02642-y.
Link [Preprint]
2018 Jaramillo, J. L. and Lam, V. Counterfactuals and the initial value formulation of general relativity. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axy066.
Link [Preprint]
2018 Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. Spacetime is as spacetime does. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 64:39-51.
Link [Preprint]
2017 Lam, V. Structuralism in the philosophy of physics. Philosophy Compass, 12: e12421.
Link
2017 Egg, M., Lam, V. and Oldofredi, A. Particles, Cutoffs and Inequivalent Representations. Foundations of Physics 47: 453-466.
Link [Preprint]
2017 Esfeld, M., Lazarovici, D., Lam, V. and Hubert, M. The Physics and Metaphysics of Primitive Stuff. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 68: 133-161.
Link [Preprint]
2015 Lam, V. Primitive ontology and quantum field theory. European Journal for Philosophy of Science 5: 387-397.
Link [Preprint]
2015 Lam, V. and Wüthrich, C. No categorial support for radical ontic structural realism. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 66: 605-634.
Link [Preprint]
2014 Lam, V. Entities without intrinsic physical identity. Erkenntnis 79: 1157-1171.
Link [Preprint]
2013 Lam, V. The entanglement structure of quantum field systems. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 27: 59-72.
Link [Preprint]
2013 Lam, V. and Esfeld, M. A dilemma for the emergence of spacetime in canonical quantum gravity. Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 44: 286-293.
Link [Preprint]
2012 Lam, V. and Esfeld, M. The structural metaphysics of quantum theory and general relativity. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 43: 243-258.
Link
2011 Lam, V. Gravitational and non-gravitational energy: the need for background structures. Philosophy of Science 78: 1012-1023.
Link [Preprint]
2008 Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Moderate structural realism about space-time. Synthese 160: 27-46.
Link [Preprint]
2007 Lam, V. The singular nature of space-time. Philosophy of Science 74: 712-723.
Link [Preprint]
2005 Lam, V. Causation and Space-time. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 27: 483-499.

Articles in edited volumes

2023 Lam, V. Abrupt Climate Changes and Tipping Points: Epistemic and Methodological Issues. Forthcoming in M. Di Paolla and G. Pellegrino (eds.), Handbook of the Philosophy of Climate Change. Cham: Springer.
[Preprint]
2022 Lam, V. , Letertre, L. and Mariani, C. Quantum Metaphysics and the Foundations of Spacetime. In A. Vassallo (ed.), The Foundations of Spacetime Physics: Philosophical Perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, 197-222.
Link [Preprint]
2018 Lam, V. and Sachse, C. Editorial – Change in Science. Lato Sensu 5: 1-3.
2015 Lam, V. Quantum structure and spacetime. In T. Bigaj and C. Wüthrich (eds.), Metaphysics in Contemporary Physics. New York: Rodopi, 209-228.
2014 Lam, V. Protective measurements and the status of the wave function within the primitive ontology approach. In S. Gao (ed.), Protective Measurement and Quantum Reality : Toward a New Understanding of Quantum Mechanics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 195-210.
2013 Lam, V. Aspects structuraux de l’espace-temps dans la théorie de la relativité générale. In S. Le Bihan (ed.), Précis de Philosophie de la Physique. Paris: Vuibert, 204-221.
2011 Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Ontic structural realism as a metaphysics of objects. In P. Bokulich and A. Bokulich (eds.), Scientific Structuralism. Dordrecht: Springer, 143-159.
2010 Lam, V. Metaphysics of causation and physics of general relativity. In C. Calosi (ed.), Physics and Metaphysics. Pisa: Edizioni ETS, 61-80.
2010 Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Holism and structural realism. In R. Vanderbeeken and B. D’Hooghe (eds.), Worldviews, science and us: Studies of analytical metaphysics. A selection of topics from a methodological perspective. Singapore: World Scientific, 10-31.
2009 Lam, V. Métaphysique de la causalité et physique de la relativité générale. Klesis 13, 106-122.
2009 Esfeld, M. and Lam, V. Structures as the objects of fundamental physics. In U. Feest and H.-J. Rheinberger (eds.), Epistemic Objects. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science 374: 3-16.
2008 Lam, V. Structural aspects of the singular feature of space-time. In D. Dieks (ed.), Ontology of Spacetime. Philosophy and Foundations of Physics Series. Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 111-131.
2006 Lam, V. Is a world only made up of relations possible? A structural realist point of view. In M. Esfeld (ed.), John Heil. Symposium on his ontological point of view. Frankfurt: Ontos, 111-120.

Invited book reviews

2020 Lam, V. Review of ‘Philosophy and Climate Science’ by Eric Winsberg (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018). Philosophy of Science, doi.org/10.1086/707566.
2018 Lam, V. Review of ‘Naturgesetze in einer kausalen Welt’ by Andreas Bartels (Münster: mentis, 2015). Journal for General Philosophy of Science 49: 145-148.
2015 Lam, V. Review of ‘Discrete or Continuous? The Quest for Fundamental Length in Modern Physics’ by Amit Hagar (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014). Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
2012 Lam, V. Review of ‘From Current Algebra to Quantum Chromodynamics’ by Tian Yu Cao (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010). Philosophy in Review 32: 447-449.
2012 Lam, V. Review of ‘Geometric Possibility’ by Gordon Belot (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 26: 227-230.