http://www.mwparker.com/

E-mail: m.parker@lse.ac.uk

I'm a broad-minded philosopher with active research in philosophical methodology, metaphysics, and the history and philosophy of mathematics and physics. This year (2009-10 academic year) I'm a Teaching Fellow at the University of Bristol and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences at the London School of Economics.

I grew up in San Diego, where I met my beautiful and talented wife Laurel Parker. We lived in LA and Chicago, and now live in glamorous Leytonstone, Greater London, with our gorgeous daughter Edith and stunning harlequin great dane Monstro. (Exactly one of the preceding adjectives is meant ironically.)

My research concerns two main topics: (1) how to approach seemingly empty questions in metaphysics and the foundations of sciences, and (2) non-computability in physics and mathematical analysis. I also have interests in determinism, predictability, and chaotic dynamics, personal identity, non-Humean theories of cardinality, and Leibniz's question, "Why is there something rather than nothing?". I've taught logic, mathematics, philosophy of probability, analytic philosophy, philosophical logic, metaphysics, philosophy of physics, early modern, and "Intro". Probably my greatest achievement is having proved that the stability of planetary systems is undecidable in a precise and significant sense, given one plausible conjecture in mechanics. (See "Undecidability in R^n" and my dissertation.)

My second greatest achievement (though not solely mine by any stretch) would bethe Adjusters' album Before the Revolution. When I used to think I had time for hobbies, I played organ and wrote music. I've played with The Donkey Show, Bad Manners, Roland Alphonso, The Federales, The Adjusters, The Convulsions, The Phoenecians, The Aggrolites, and Chickenfat. The Adjusters released four CDs (as well as several singles and compilation cuts) and toured Europe in the pseudo-millenial winter of 1999-2000. Check out our video, conceived and directed by Laurel. My present musical activities are limited to DJ-ing at philosophy department parties, and playing in the LSE philosophy department's old-timey rock and roll band, Critique of Pure Rhythm, with colleagues and students.