Stephen Mumford
Encyclopedia
Stephen Dean Mumford is a philosopher and Professor
of Metaphysics
at The University of Nottingham. Mumford is best known for his work on dispositions and laws, his main work is a monograph
on the metaphysics of natural laws entitled "Laws in Nature" and he is often cited
for his first major publication
"Dispositions". Mumford was Head of the Department of Philosophy from 2004–2007, and was appointed Head of the School of Humanities in 2009.
The late philosopher George Molnar
(1934–1999) published only four philosophical papers
on metaphysics
in his career, but his importance in the field should not be underestimated. After a return to the field, following a self-imposed absence, he was working on a book ("Powers") and continued up until his sudden and untimely death in August 1999. The book remained unfinished until Mumford, who had previously been in contact with Molnar, in the summer of 1999, with the intention of giving feedback on the work (nearing completion), was approached to edit the remaining manuscript
into a completed book. Mumford, along with several other figures in the field of metaphysics, including David Armstrong
, were involved collaboratively in providing insight on Molnar's work, and as a person, but the editing was left to Mumford, as was the writing of an introductory chapter to correctly present and establish the material laid out - something which Molnar did not get round to doing before his death. Armstrong states, "We can be very grateful to Stephen Mumford for making a volume from the much that we have. His excellent introduction serves in place of the introductory chapter that was left unwritten". Mumford had discussed Molnar at a conference on Australian metaphysics, held in Grenoble
(December 9–13, 1999), but the colloquium - organised by Jean-Maurice Monnoyer, entitled "The Structure of the World: Objects, Properties and States of Affairs" - was to be the first official meeting of Mumford and Molnar as well. Mumford had considered this to be the end of the matter, but, in the spring of 2000, Mumford was contacted again concerning "Powers". This time, however, it was through mutual friend Tony Skillen (lecturer in philosophy at the University of Kent
) on behalf of Molnar's former partner Carlotta McIntosh, who had given access to the manuscript
and who shared it with Mumford. Although the book was, in places, complete and filled with promise, there was much work to be done on the later chapters - Mumford reflects on a conversation between himself and Armstrong on the way to the Grenoble
colloquium, mentioning Molnar's email stating the work was near finished, Armstrong replied: "it was near finished, in his mind". The main theory of powers survives, and with Mumford's help and editorial contribution is readily accessible.
(Arts & Humanities Research Council) funded three-year research project: the metaphysics of science. Mumford worked alongside Alexander Bird (Bristol
) and Helen Beebee (Birmingham
) within this project with their joint focus on "causes
, laws
, kinds
, and dispositions". The project was described with the following abstract: "We naturally think that what happens in the universe is governed by laws of nature. We also think that events are causally related to other events, that things are naturally classified into kinds (physical, chemical and biological kinds, for example), and that at least some natural kinds have distinctive dispositions (for example, the disposition of NaCl
to dissolve in water). This project explored how, or whether, all these distinct notions - law, cause, natural kind, disposition - can be made to fit together into a coherent and unified worldview. For example, must two causally related events be such that they are members of kinds that are lawfully related? Must those kinds be natural kinds? Are natural kinds distinguished from one another by the fact that members of different kinds are disposed to behave in different ways?".
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
at The University of Nottingham. Mumford is best known for his work on dispositions and laws, his main work is a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
on the metaphysics of natural laws entitled "Laws in Nature" and he is often cited
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
for his first major publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
"Dispositions". Mumford was Head of the Department of Philosophy from 2004–2007, and was appointed Head of the School of Humanities in 2009.
Education
- BABachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
- PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and History of IdeasHistory of ideasThe history of ideas is a field of research in history that deals with the expression, preservation, and change of human ideas over time. The history of ideas is a sister-discipline to, or a particular approach within, intellectual history...
(with PoliticsPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
) at Huddersfield Polytechnic (now UniversityUniversity of HuddersfieldThe University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
) - MAMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
- Philosophy of MindPhilosophy of mindPhilosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
at University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England... - PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
- Thesis: "Dispositions and Reductionism" (1994) at University of Leeds supervised by Robin LePoidevinRobin LePoidevinRobin Le Poidevin is professor of metaphysics at the University of Leeds whose interests include the nature and experience of time, agnosticism, and philosophy of religion. He joined the department of philosophy at Leeds in 1989 having completed postgraduate studies at both Oxford and Cambridge,...
Dispositions and "Dispositions" (1998)
- See main article: Dispositions
Background
- See main article: George Molnar (philosopher)George Molnar (philosopher)George Molnar was a Hungarian-born philosopher whose principal area of interest was metaphysics, and who worked mainly at the Philosophy Department at the University of Sydney. In the 1950s and 1960s he was a prominent member of the university's Libertarian Society and associate of the Sydney Push...
The late philosopher George Molnar
George Molnar (philosopher)
George Molnar was a Hungarian-born philosopher whose principal area of interest was metaphysics, and who worked mainly at the Philosophy Department at the University of Sydney. In the 1950s and 1960s he was a prominent member of the university's Libertarian Society and associate of the Sydney Push...
(1934–1999) published only four philosophical papers
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
on metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
in his career, but his importance in the field should not be underestimated. After a return to the field, following a self-imposed absence, he was working on a book ("Powers") and continued up until his sudden and untimely death in August 1999. The book remained unfinished until Mumford, who had previously been in contact with Molnar, in the summer of 1999, with the intention of giving feedback on the work (nearing completion), was approached to edit the remaining manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
into a completed book. Mumford, along with several other figures in the field of metaphysics, including David Armstrong
David Malet Armstrong
David Malet Armstrong , often D. M. Armstrong, is an Australian philosopher. He is well-known for his work on metaphysics and the philosophy of mind, and for his defence of a factualist ontology, a functionalist theory of the mind, an externalist epistemology, and a necessitarian conception of the...
, were involved collaboratively in providing insight on Molnar's work, and as a person, but the editing was left to Mumford, as was the writing of an introductory chapter to correctly present and establish the material laid out - something which Molnar did not get round to doing before his death. Armstrong states, "We can be very grateful to Stephen Mumford for making a volume from the much that we have. His excellent introduction serves in place of the introductory chapter that was left unwritten". Mumford had discussed Molnar at a conference on Australian metaphysics, held in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
(December 9–13, 1999), but the colloquium - organised by Jean-Maurice Monnoyer, entitled "The Structure of the World: Objects, Properties and States of Affairs" - was to be the first official meeting of Mumford and Molnar as well. Mumford had considered this to be the end of the matter, but, in the spring of 2000, Mumford was contacted again concerning "Powers". This time, however, it was through mutual friend Tony Skillen (lecturer in philosophy at the University of Kent
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
) on behalf of Molnar's former partner Carlotta McIntosh, who had given access to the manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
and who shared it with Mumford. Although the book was, in places, complete and filled with promise, there was much work to be done on the later chapters - Mumford reflects on a conversation between himself and Armstrong on the way to the Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
colloquium, mentioning Molnar's email stating the work was near finished, Armstrong replied: "it was near finished, in his mind". The main theory of powers survives, and with Mumford's help and editorial contribution is readily accessible.
Metaphysics of Science
Mumford was a project leader for The University of Nottingham in the AHRCArts and Humanities Research Council
Established in April 2005 as successor to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, the Arts and Humanities Research Council is a British Research Council and non-departmental public body that provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the...
(Arts & Humanities Research Council) funded three-year research project: the metaphysics of science. Mumford worked alongside Alexander Bird (Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
) and Helen Beebee (Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
) within this project with their joint focus on "causes
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
, laws
Physical law
A physical law or scientific law is "a theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by the statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present." Physical laws are typically conclusions...
, kinds
Natural kind
In philosophy, a natural kind is a "natural" grouping, not an artificial one. Or, it is something that a set of things has in common which distinguishes it from other things as a real set rather than as a group of things arbitrarily lumped together by a person or group of people.If any natural...
, and dispositions". The project was described with the following abstract: "We naturally think that what happens in the universe is governed by laws of nature. We also think that events are causally related to other events, that things are naturally classified into kinds (physical, chemical and biological kinds, for example), and that at least some natural kinds have distinctive dispositions (for example, the disposition of NaCl
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
to dissolve in water). This project explored how, or whether, all these distinct notions - law, cause, natural kind, disposition - can be made to fit together into a coherent and unified worldview. For example, must two causally related events be such that they are members of kinds that are lawfully related? Must those kinds be natural kinds? Are natural kinds distinguished from one another by the fact that members of different kinds are disposed to behave in different ways?".
Books
-
- Edited with an Introduction by Stephen Mumford; Foreword by David Armstrong
- Edited with Introductions by Stephen Mumford; Russell on... series edited by A.C. Grayling
- ...a critical examination of reductive accounts of the meaning and ontology of dispositional discourse
- Available for consultation at the Brotherton LibraryBrotherton LibraryThe Brotherton Library is a 1936 Grade II listed Beaux-Arts building with some art deco fittings, located on the main campus of the University of Leeds...
, University of LeedsUniversity of LeedsThe University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. - Constituent parts published separately include:
- "Dispositions, Supervenience and Reduction" (1994).
- "Dispositions, Bases, Overdetermination and Identities" (1995).
Selected Articles
- "Passing Powers Around" (January 2009) — The MonistThe MonistThe Monist: An International Quarterly Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry is an American academic journal in the field of philosophy. It was founded in October 1890 by Edward C. Hegeler, making it one of the longest-established journals in philosophy...
., vol. 92, no. 1 - "Negative Truth and Falsehood" (November 2006) — Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society (forthcoming in print, available online via Blackwell-Synergy)
- "The Ungrounded Argument" (April 2006) — SyntheseSyntheseSynthese is a scholarly periodical edited by Johan van Benthem, Vincent F. Hendricks and John Symons specializing in papers in epistemology, methodology and philosophy of science...
., vol. 149, no. 3: 471-489 - "Function, Structure, Capacity" (March 2006) — Studies In History and Philosophy of Science Part A., vol. 37, iss. 1: 76-80
- "Kinds, Essences, Powers" (December 2005) — RatioRatio (journal)Ratio is a peer-reviewed academic journal of analytic philosophy, edited by John Cottingham and published by Wiley-Blackwell. Although emphasising work predominantly from analytic philosophy, it does not exclusively publish in one tradition and includes a variety of philosophical topics...
., vol. 18, iss. 4: 420-436 - "The True and the False" (June 2005) — Australasian Journal of PhilosophyAustralasian Journal of PhilosophyThe Australasian Journal of Philosophy , founded in Sydney in 1923 as The Australasian Journal of Psychology and Philosophy, is Australasia's oldest and most respected philosophy journal. Sponsored by the Australasian Association of Philosophy, it aims to publish the best work in the analytic...
., vol. 83, no.2: 263-269 - "Laws and Lawlessness" (April 2005) — SyntheseSyntheseSynthese is a scholarly periodical edited by Johan van Benthem, Vincent F. Hendricks and John Symons specializing in papers in epistemology, methodology and philosophy of science...
., vol. 144, no. 3: 397-413 - "Realism and the Conditional Analysis of Dispositions: Reply to Malzkorn" (July 2001) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 51, no. 204: 375-378- Wolfgang Malzkorn: "Realism, Functionalism and the Conditional Analysis of Dispositions" (October 2000) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 50, no. 201: 452-469
- Wolfgang Malzkorn: "Realism, Functionalism and the Conditional Analysis of Dispositions" (October 2000) — The Philosophical Quarterly
- "Miracles: Metaphysics and Modality" (June 2001) — Religious StudiesReligious Studies (journal)Religious Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It addresses problems of the philosophy of religion in the context of a variety of religious traditions...
., vol. 37, no.2: 191-202- Steve Clarke: "Response to Mumford and another definition of miracles" (December 2003) — Religious StudiesReligious Studies (journal)Religious Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It addresses problems of the philosophy of religion in the context of a variety of religious traditions...
., vol. 39, no. 4: 459-463 - Morgan Luck: "In defence of Mumford's definition of a miracle" (December 2003) — Religious StudiesReligious Studies (journal)Religious Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It addresses problems of the philosophy of religion in the context of a variety of religious traditions...
., vol. 39, no. 4: 465-469 - Steve Clarke: "Luck and miracles" (December 2003) — Religious StudiesReligious Studies (journal)Religious Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It addresses problems of the philosophy of religion in the context of a variety of religious traditions...
., vol. 39, no. 4: 471-474
- Steve Clarke: "Response to Mumford and another definition of miracles" (December 2003) — Religious Studies
- "Normative and Natural Laws" (April 2000) — PhilosophyPhilosophy (journal)Philosophy is the scholarly journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. It is designed to be intelligible to the non-specialist reader and has been in continuous publication for over 80 years. It is published by Cambridge University Press and is currently edited by Anthony O'Hear.-See also:* ...
., vol. 75, no. 292: 265-282 - "Intentionality and the Physical: A New Theory of Disposition Ascription" (April 1999) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 49, no. 125: 215-225- Ullin T. Place: "Intentionality and the Physical: A Reply to Mumford" (April 1999) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 49, no. 125: 225-231
- Ullin T. Place: "Intentionality and the Physical: A Reply to Mumford" (April 1999) — The Philosophical Quarterly
- "Laws of Nature Outlawed" (June 1998) — dialecticaDialecticaDialectica is a quarterly philosophy journal published by Blackwell. The journal was founded in 1947 by Gaston Bachelard, Paul Bernays and Ferdinand Gonseth. Dialectica is edited in Switzerland and has a focus on analytical philosophy. The journal is the official journal of the European...
., vol. 52, no. 2: 83-101 - "Conditionals, Functional Essences and Martin on Dispositions" (January 1996) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 46, no. 182: 86-92 - "Ellis and Lierse on Dispositional Essentialism" (December 1995) — Australasian Journal of PhilosophyAustralasian Journal of PhilosophyThe Australasian Journal of Philosophy , founded in Sydney in 1923 as The Australasian Journal of Psychology and Philosophy, is Australasia's oldest and most respected philosophy journal. Sponsored by the Australasian Association of Philosophy, it aims to publish the best work in the analytic...
., vol. 73, no.4: 606-612 - "Dispositions, Bases, Overdetermination and Identities" (April 1995) — RatioRatio (journal)Ratio is a peer-reviewed academic journal of analytic philosophy, edited by John Cottingham and published by Wiley-Blackwell. Although emphasising work predominantly from analytic philosophy, it does not exclusively publish in one tradition and includes a variety of philosophical topics...
., vol. 8, iss. 1: 42-62 - "Dispositions, Supervenience and Reduction" (October 1994) — The Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical QuarterlyThe Philosophical Quarterly is a quarterly academic journal of philosophy established in 1950. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Scots Philosophical Club and the University of St Andrews. The current editor-in-chief is Tim Mulgan. Every year the journal holds an Essay...
., vol. 44, no. 177: 419-438 - "Dispositions" (Summer 1994) — Cogito., vol. 8: 141-146
- "A Puzzle About Causation" (Autumn 1993) — Philosophy NowPhilosophy NowPhilosophy Now is a philosophy magazine, published every two months and sold from news-stands and bookstores in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada. It aims to appeal to the general educated public, as well as to students and philosophy teachers. It was founded in 1991...
., vol. 7: 23-30
External links
- Home Page
- Faculty page at the University of Nottingham
- Dispositions (Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Dispositions (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Laws of Nature (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Laws of Nature (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Natural Laws (Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Metaphysics of Science: Homepage
Responses and Discussion
- "Critical Notice of Stephen Mumford's Dispositions" - Dan Ryder
- "Dispositions and Essences" - Claudine Tiercelin
- "Stephen Mumford's Laws in Nature" - Stathis Psillos
Reviews
- "Dispositions" (May 2000) - Wolfgang Malzkorn — ErkenntnisErkenntnisErkenntnis is a journal of philosophy that publishes papers in analytic philosophy. Its name is derived from the German word for knowledge recognition. The journal was founded by Hans Reichenbach and Rudolf Carnap in 1930. The journal was "refounded" by Wilhelm K. Essler, Carl G...
., vol. 52, no. 3: 413-418 - "Dispositions" (January 2001) - D.M. Armstrong — Philosophy and Phenomenological ResearchPhilosophy and Phenomenological ResearchPhilosophy and Phenomenological Research is a bimonthly philosophy journal founded in 1940. Until 1980, it was edited by Marvin Farber, then by Roderick Chisholm and since 1986 by Ernest Sosa...
., vol. 62, no. 1: 246-248 - "Dispositions" (January 2001) - Thomas Bittner — Philosophical Books., vol. 42, no. 1: 61-65
- "Dispositions" (January 2001) - John W. Carroll — The Philosophical ReviewThe Philosophical ReviewThe Philosophical Review is a quarterly journal of philosophy edited by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and published by Duke University Press . The journal publishes original work in all areas of analytic philosophy, but emphasizes material that is of general...
., vol. 110, no. 1: 82-84 - "Dispositions" (January 2001) - Rainer Noske — Journal for the General Philosophy of Science., vol. 32. no. 1: 193-197
- "Dispositions" (March 2001) - Alexander Bird — British Journal for the Philosophy of ScienceBritish Journal for the Philosophy of ScienceBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science is a philosophy journal that encourages the use of philosophical methods in addressing issues raised in the natural and human sciences....
., vol. 52, no. 1: 137-149 - "Dispositions" (March 2005) - John Hawthorne; David Manley — NoûsNoûsNoûs is a philosophy journal published four times per year by Blackwell Publishing. It was founded by Hector-Neri Castañeda and is currently edited by Ernest Sosa...
., vol. 39, no. 1: 179-195 - "Laws in Nature" (June 2006) - Simon Bostock — British Journal for the Philosophy of ScienceBritish Journal for the Philosophy of ScienceBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science is a philosophy journal that encourages the use of philosophical methods in addressing issues raised in the natural and human sciences....
., vol. 57, no. 2: 449-453