Alyssa Ney, Professor of Philosophy, LMU Munich
Office Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, M214-216
Email alyssa.ney@lmu.de
Hours by appointment
Research Areas
Metaphysics, Philosophy of Physics, Philosophy of Mind, General Philosophy of Science
Biography
Since July 1, 2024, I am Professor and Chair of Metaphysics in the Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and Religious Studies at LMU Munich. I received my MA and PhD in Philosophy from Brown University, my MS in Physics from UC Davis, and my BS in Physics and Philosophy from Tulane University. Before coming to LMU, I was Professor of Philosophy at UC Davis and the University of Rochester.
My research focuses primarily on fundamentality, the unity of science, and the interpretation of quantum theories. I am working on two large projects at the moment. First, I am writing a book on the fundamentality of physics, arguing for an interpretation of the claim that physics is metaphysically fundamental. Second, I am editing a collection of papers on the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The volume more specifically addresses the issue of how adopting the many worlds interpretation may allow one to avoid non-locality or "spooky action at a distance."
The second edition of my metaphysics textbook with Routledge is now available, and contains new chapters on fundamentality and grounding, natural and social kinds (including a section on social construction), and the metaphysics of race and gender. The new edition also includes new sections on metaphysical (ontic) vagueness and, in the free will chapter, on free will and neuroscience and manipulation arguments. Links to my most recent articles can be found below.
This Spring and Summer 2024, I will be in residence at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) at the Ludwig Maximilians Universität München (LMU-Munich), finishing my book on the fundamentality of physics with financial support from a Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
New work in progress
"Is the Universe Fundamentally a Density Matrix?" with Saakshi Dulani.
"Wave Function Realism," to appear in Compêndio de Filosofia da Física Quântica, edited by R. Arroyo.
"Branching Everywhere and All At Once," to appear in Everett and Locality, Oxford University Press.
Books
Everett and Locality. edited volume. Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
The World in the Wave Function: A Metaphysics for Quantum Physics. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Reviewed in [Philosophical Review] by David Wallace, [Mind] by James Read, [Philosophy of Science] by Mario Hubert, and [Analysis] by Tim Maudlin.
Metaphysics: An Introduction. Second Edition. Routledge, 2023 (First Edition 2014).
The Wave Function: Essays in the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics. co-edited with David Z Albert. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Reviewed in [NDPR] by Jeff Barrett, [Philosophy of Science] by Craig Callender, and [Metascience] by Decio Krause.
Selected Articles
"The Argument from Locality for Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics," Journal of Philosophy, forthcoming.
"Three Arguments for Wave Function Realism," European Journal for the Philosophy of Science, forthcoming.
"From Quantum Entanglement to Spatiotemporal Distance," Philosophy Beyond Spacetime, Oxford University Press, 2021.
"The Fundamentality of Physics: Completeness or Maximality?" Oxford Studies in Metaphysics Vol.12, 2020.
"Mind,"Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding, Routledge, 2020.
"Are the Questions of Metaphysics More Fundamental Than Those of Science?" Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 2020.
"Separability, Locality, and Higher Dimensions in Quantum Mechanics," Current Controversies in Philosophy of Science, Routledge, 2020.
"Finding the World in the Wave Function: Some Strategies for Solving the Macro-object Problem," Synthese, 2020.
"Wave Function Realism in a Relativistic Setting," The Foundation of Reality, Oxford University Press, 2020.
"On Phenomenal Functionalism about the Properties of Virtual and Non-virtual Objects," Disputatio, 2019.
"The Politics of Fundamentality," What is Fundamental? Springer, 2019.
"Locality and Wave Function Realism," Quantum Worlds, Cambridge University Press, 2019.
"Physicalism, Not Scientism," in Scientism: Prospects and Problems, Oxford University Press, 2018.
"Microphysical Causation and the Case for Physicalism," Analytic Philosophy, 2016.
"Grounding in the Philosophy of Mind: A Defense," in Scientific Composition and Metaphysical Ground, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.
"Fundamental Physical Ontologies and the Constraint of Empirical Coherence," Synthese, 2015.
"A Physicalist Critique of Russellian Monism," in Consciousness in the Physical World, Oxford University Press, 2015.
"Does An Adequate Physical Theory Demand a Primitive Ontology?" with Kathryn Phillips. Philosophy of Science, 2013.
"The Causal Contribution of Mental Events," in New Perspectives on Type Identity, Cambridge University Press, 2012.
"The Status of Our Ordinary Three Dimensions in a Quantum Universe." Nous, 2012.
"Neo-Positivist Metaphysics." Philosophical Studies. 2012.
"Physical Causation and Difference-making." British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2009.
"Defining Physicalism," Philosophy Compass, 2008.
"Physicalism as an Attitude," Philosophical Studies, 2008.
"Can An Appeal to Constitution Solve the Exclusion Problem?" Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 2007.
"Physicalism and Our Knowledge of Intrinsic Properties," Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 2007.
Upcoming Talks
September 2024: MAPS, NYU
September 2024: University of Gothenburg
September 2024: University of Oslo
October 2024: History and Philosophy of Physics in the Netherlands Workshop
October 2024: Workshop on Symmetries, MCMP LMU-Munich
November 2024: PSA Biannual Meeting, Symposium on Many Worlds and Locality, New Orleans
February 2025: Grünbaum Lecture, Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh