All Episodes

July 26, 2023 21 mins

This episode features Caleb Hazelwood, philosopher of science and PhD candidate, talking on the topic of Scientific Metaphysics. 

As Caleb explains, ‘scientific metaphysics’ refers to coming to grips with what ‘really is’ in the world – and being crystal clear about the concepts we use to describe natural phenomena and how they interact.  For example, Caleb talks about the importance of differentiating between entities we consider stable across the universe – such as the elements  – compared with more space-bound entities – such as biological species.

While exploring such fundamental questions may appear difficult and abstract, Caleb does a wonderful job in showing how debates such as these provide for fruitful interactions between scientific practice and philosophical reasoning

See the following links for more on the topic:
·       Caleb Hazelwood - https://calebhazelwood.com/
·       Catherine Kendig - https://www.canr.msu.edu/people/catherine-kendig
·       Yasmin Haddad - https://www.yasminhaddad.com/
·       Thomas Pradeu on ‘Individuality and the Microbiome’ - https://invivomagazine.com/en/focus/interview/article/350/you-can-identify-individuals-based-on-their-unique-features-of-their-microbiomes
·       Thomas Pradeu on Philosophy of Immunology - https://newbooksnetwork.com/philosophy-of-immunology
·       Caleb’s review of Charles Pence’s The Causal Structure of Natural Selection - http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/21945/
·       James Woodward – Causation with a Human Face
·       James Woodward – ‘Causation and Manipulability’ SEP - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/causation-mani/
·       ‘Metaphysics of Science’ (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
·       Aeon article by John Dupré on ‘Science-based Metaphysics

A full transcript of the episode can be found

Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast. You can find more about us on our website, bluesky, instagram and facebook feeds.

This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne and the Hansen Little Public Humanities Grant scheme.

Music by ComaStudio.
Website HPS


Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.