djmc


Daniel McArthur

Photo of Daniel McArthur

Associate Professor

Office: Ross Building, S425
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext: 66346
Email: djmc@yorku.ca


I work primarily in the philosophy of science especially in the philosophy of physics and I am presently working on the topics of theory change and the nature of scientific discovery. I also have an interest in decision theory and rational choice theory.

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I work primarily in the philosophy of science especially in the philosophy of physics and I am presently working on the topics of theory change and the nature of scientific discovery. I also have an interest in decision theory and rational choice theory. I am also interested in research ethics and applied ethics and I am a member of the research ethics committee here at York. I am currently working on a number of applied ethics projects including the question of the ethics of redistributive aid between countries, this draws from my interests in rational choice theory as well.

Research Interests

Philosophy , Science and Technology, Philosophy of Science, Philosophical Naturalism, Realism Debate, Philosophy/Modes of Reasoning
Books

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2003. Humanity and the Cosmos: Proceedings of the Brock Philosophical Society’s Annual Symposium on Science and Humanity, Dan McArthur and Corey Mulvihill (eds.), Global Academic Publishing State University of New York at Binghampton.

2003

Book Reviews

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2006. Bailey, Lee Worth. The Enchantments of Technology, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2005. Review to Appear in Philosophy in Review.

2006

McArthur, D. 2003. Josef Rouse, How Scientific Practices Matter: Reclaiming Philosophical Naturalism, New York: Routletge, 2002, in Canadian Philosophy in Review XXIII (4): 279-82

2004

McArthur, D. 2001. John Losee. A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001, in de Philosophia 16.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. Thomas Hurka, Principles, Short Essays on Ethics, Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1999, in de Philosophia 17.

2001

Journal Articles

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2008. “Discovery and Theory Change” Accepted conditional upon revisions in Dialogue.

2008

McArthur, D. 2008. “Structural Realism, The A Priori and Normative Naturalism” Forthcoming in International Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.

2008

McArthur, D. 2007. “Mutual Advantage Contractarianism and Obligations to Provide Foreign Aid” Accepted and Forthcoming in Australian Journal for Professional and Applied Ethics, March. 2007.

2007

McArthur, D. 2007. “Recent debates Over Structural Realism” Journal for General Philosophy of Science. 37:209-224.

2007

McArthur, D. 2007. “Which Kind of Naturalism Best Accommodates Renormalisation?” accepted and forthcoming in Journal of Philosophical Research.

2007

McArthur, D. 2006. “Contra Cartwright: Structural Realism, Ontological Pluralism and Fundamentalism about Laws” Synthese vol. 151, (2), pp. 235-257.

2006

McArthur, D. 2006.“Normative Naturalism and the Relativised A Priori” General Journal for the Philosophy of Science, XXX: 1-20.

2006

McArthur, D. 2006. “The Anti-Philosophical Stance, the Realism Question and Scientific Practice” Foundations of Science 11 369-97.

2006

McArthur, D. 2004. “Agent Centred Restrictions and the Ethics of Space Exploration,” Idil Boran: co-author. Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 35: 148-63.

2004

McArthur, D. 2003. “Cosmology and Pseudo-Questions” in Humanity and the Cosmos: Proceedings of the Brock Philosophical Society’s Annual Symposium on Science and Humanity, Dan McArthur and Corey Mulvihill (eds.), State University of New York at Binghampton: Global Academic Publishing, pp., 97-111.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Is Pickering’s Pragmatic Realism Viable” Dialectica, 57 (1): 71-88.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Reconsidering Structural Realism” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference in at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2002. “The Methodological Implications of Resolving the Realism Debate” Science Studies, 15 (2): 59-77.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Why Bachelard is not a Scientific Realist”, The Philosophical Forum, Vol. 34: 155-73.

2002

McArthur, D. 2000. “Evaluating Economics: an Examination of Alexander Rosenberg’s Philosophy of Economics” Contemporary Philosophy 21: 43-52.

2000

McArthur, D. 1998. “The Environment and the New Scientific Mind: Practical Applications of Gaston Bachelard’s Philosophy of Science” Contemporary Philosophy Vol. 20: 39-45.

1998

McArthur, D. 1997. “What Good is the Philosophy of Science” Contemporary Philosophy Vol. 19: 10-17.

1997

Conference Papers

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2007. “Naturalism, The A priori and Dewey’s Transactional View” Prsented to the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in Saskatoon in May.

2007

McArthur, D. 2006. “Structural Realism and Discovery” presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in Toronto Ont. in June.

2006

McArthur, D. 2005. “Cartright on the Scope of Laws” presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in London Ont. in June.

2005

McArthur, D. 2005. “Naturalism and Structural Realism” presented at the Carleton University Department of Philosophy Colloquia Series, Nov. 4th 2005.

2005

McArthur, D. 2005. “Stump and Friedman on Naturalism” paper to be presented to the panel I organised entitled “Reconsidering Philosophical Naturalism” at the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in London Ont. in June.

2005

McArthur, D. 2004. “Appraising Naturalist Views of Science” Carleton University Colloquia Series, April 23.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Considering Structural Realism” presented at the Queen’s University Colloquia Series, Oct. 28.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Do Entity Realism and Structural Realism Entail One Another?” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in Winnipeg in June.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Naturalist Philosophy of Science and Renormalisation Theory” Presented at the panel “Applying Logical Empiricist Metaphilosophy” (co-organised by Dan McArthur and Idil Boran) at the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in Winnipeg in June.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Recent Structuralist Approaches” presented at the Carleton University Colloquia Series, Oct. 14.

2004

McArthur, D. 2003. “Bachelard’s Dialecticization of Logic” Presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Commentary on Chakravartty’s ‘Dispositional Properties’” Presented to the Canadian Philosophical Association at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Commentary on Leroux’s ‘Bachelard and Lakatos’” Presented at the Ontario Philosophical Society Annual Conference at the University of Ottawa in November.

2003

McArthur, D. 2004. “Consdering ‘Semirealism’” to the Dept. of Philosophy, St. Francis of Xavier University Feb 19, Special Colloquia Invitation.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Is Pickering’s Pragmatic Realism Viable” Presented to the Canadian Philosophical Association at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Realism and the EPR Experiments” Accepted by 21st World Congress of Philosophy, Istanbul Turkey (presentation cancelled due to schedule conflict).

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Reconsidering Structural Realism” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference in at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2002. “Bachelard and Scientific Realism” Presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress at the University of Toronto in May.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Rights Obligations and the Space Program” Presented to The Chaire Hoover d’éthique économique et sociale á Université catholique de Louvain.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Why Bachelard is not a Scientific Realist” Presented at the HOPOS (History of Philosophy of Science) Conference at Concordia University in Montreal in June.

2002

McArthur, D. 2001. “Commentary on O. Schulte’s A Case Study in Formal Learning Theory: Conservation Principles in Particle Physics”, Presented at the Western Canada Philosophical Association Annual Conference, University of Regina.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Commentary on R. Hudson’s Novelty and the 1919 Eclipse Experiments”, Presented at the Western Canada Philosophical Association Annual Conference, University of Regina.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Ethics and the Space Program”, Presented at the Brock University Symposium on Science and the Person.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Whither Corporate Sponsorship?: Ethics, Technology and Corporate Funding of University Research”, Presented at the Ethics Colloquium at The University of Ottawa Annual Interdisciplinary Conference.

2001

McArthur, D. 2000. “Cosmology, Creation and Pseudo Questions”: presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity and Science, organised with the Brock University Faculty of Mathematics and Science.

2000

McArthur, D. 2000. “Realism and Deflationary Metaphysics”: presented to The University of Ottawa Interdisciplinary Research Conference.

2000

McArthur, D. 2000. “Realism and the Hidden Variables Debate”: Presented to the “One Hundred Years of Quantum Theory” Conference at The Faculty of Philosophy at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.

2000

McArthur, D. 1999. “An Critical Evaluation of Bas van Fraassen’s Philosophy of Science”: presented to University of Ottawa Philosophy Dept. Colloquium.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “Methodology and the Realism Debate”: presented to The Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at The University of Quebec at Sherbrooke.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “The Environment and the New Scientific Mind”: presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity, Science and the Environment, organised with the Brock University Faculty of Mathematics and Science.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “Une analyse de la philosophie des sciences de Bas van Fraassen”: presented to the Faculty of Philosophy at Université de Galatasaray, Istanbul Turkey by invitation as part of their annual series of lectures by specially invited scholars.

1999

McArthur, D. 1998. “God, Grammar and the Universe” (co-authored by Idil Boran) presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity and the Cosmos, organised with the Royal Astronomical Society.

1998

McArthur, D. 1998. “Reality, Modality and Semantics; Realism and Bas van Fraassen's Constructive Empiricism” presented to the University of Ottawa School of Graduate Studies and Research 150th Anniversary Current Research Competition.

1998

McArthur, D. 1998. “What good is the Philosophy of Science” presented to REALIA: The Institute for Advanced Philosophic Research Annual Summer Conference.

1998

McArthur, D. 1995. “The Historiography of Science” presented to the University of Ottawa History Society at “The Conference on Sources and Methods”.

1995


Current Courses

Term Course Number Section Title Type
Fall/Winter 2023 AP/MODR1770 6.0 H Techniques of Persuasion LECT
Fall/Winter 2023 AP/MODR1770 6.0 Q Techniques of Persuasion LECT



I work primarily in the philosophy of science especially in the philosophy of physics and I am presently working on the topics of theory change and the nature of scientific discovery. I also have an interest in decision theory and rational choice theory.

I work primarily in the philosophy of science especially in the philosophy of physics and I am presently working on the topics of theory change and the nature of scientific discovery. I also have an interest in decision theory and rational choice theory. I am also interested in research ethics and applied ethics and I am a member of the research ethics committee here at York. I am currently working on a number of applied ethics projects including the question of the ethics of redistributive aid between countries, this draws from my interests in rational choice theory as well.

Research Interests

Philosophy , Science and Technology, Philosophy of Science, Philosophical Naturalism, Realism Debate, Philosophy/Modes of Reasoning

All Publications


Book Reviews

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2006. Bailey, Lee Worth. The Enchantments of Technology, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2005. Review to Appear in Philosophy in Review.

2006

McArthur, D. 2003. Josef Rouse, How Scientific Practices Matter: Reclaiming Philosophical Naturalism, New York: Routletge, 2002, in Canadian Philosophy in Review XXIII (4): 279-82

2004

McArthur, D. 2001. John Losee. A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001, in de Philosophia 16.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. Thomas Hurka, Principles, Short Essays on Ethics, Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1999, in de Philosophia 17.

2001

Books

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2003. Humanity and the Cosmos: Proceedings of the Brock Philosophical Society’s Annual Symposium on Science and Humanity, Dan McArthur and Corey Mulvihill (eds.), Global Academic Publishing State University of New York at Binghampton.

2003

Journal Articles

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2008. “Discovery and Theory Change” Accepted conditional upon revisions in Dialogue.

2008

McArthur, D. 2008. “Structural Realism, The A Priori and Normative Naturalism” Forthcoming in International Studies in History and Philosophy of Science.

2008

McArthur, D. 2007. “Mutual Advantage Contractarianism and Obligations to Provide Foreign Aid” Accepted and Forthcoming in Australian Journal for Professional and Applied Ethics, March. 2007.

2007

McArthur, D. 2007. “Recent debates Over Structural Realism” Journal for General Philosophy of Science. 37:209-224.

2007

McArthur, D. 2007. “Which Kind of Naturalism Best Accommodates Renormalisation?” accepted and forthcoming in Journal of Philosophical Research.

2007

McArthur, D. 2006. “Contra Cartwright: Structural Realism, Ontological Pluralism and Fundamentalism about Laws” Synthese vol. 151, (2), pp. 235-257.

2006

McArthur, D. 2006.“Normative Naturalism and the Relativised A Priori” General Journal for the Philosophy of Science, XXX: 1-20.

2006

McArthur, D. 2006. “The Anti-Philosophical Stance, the Realism Question and Scientific Practice” Foundations of Science 11 369-97.

2006

McArthur, D. 2004. “Agent Centred Restrictions and the Ethics of Space Exploration,” Idil Boran: co-author. Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 35: 148-63.

2004

McArthur, D. 2003. “Cosmology and Pseudo-Questions” in Humanity and the Cosmos: Proceedings of the Brock Philosophical Society’s Annual Symposium on Science and Humanity, Dan McArthur and Corey Mulvihill (eds.), State University of New York at Binghampton: Global Academic Publishing, pp., 97-111.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Is Pickering’s Pragmatic Realism Viable” Dialectica, 57 (1): 71-88.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Reconsidering Structural Realism” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference in at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2002. “The Methodological Implications of Resolving the Realism Debate” Science Studies, 15 (2): 59-77.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Why Bachelard is not a Scientific Realist”, The Philosophical Forum, Vol. 34: 155-73.

2002

McArthur, D. 2000. “Evaluating Economics: an Examination of Alexander Rosenberg’s Philosophy of Economics” Contemporary Philosophy 21: 43-52.

2000

McArthur, D. 1998. “The Environment and the New Scientific Mind: Practical Applications of Gaston Bachelard’s Philosophy of Science” Contemporary Philosophy Vol. 20: 39-45.

1998

McArthur, D. 1997. “What Good is the Philosophy of Science” Contemporary Philosophy Vol. 19: 10-17.

1997

Conference Papers

Publication
Year

McArthur, D. 2007. “Naturalism, The A priori and Dewey’s Transactional View” Prsented to the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in Saskatoon in May.

2007

McArthur, D. 2006. “Structural Realism and Discovery” presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in Toronto Ont. in June.

2006

McArthur, D. 2005. “Cartright on the Scope of Laws” presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in London Ont. in June.

2005

McArthur, D. 2005. “Naturalism and Structural Realism” presented at the Carleton University Department of Philosophy Colloquia Series, Nov. 4th 2005.

2005

McArthur, D. 2005. “Stump and Friedman on Naturalism” paper to be presented to the panel I organised entitled “Reconsidering Philosophical Naturalism” at the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in London Ont. in June.

2005

McArthur, D. 2004. “Appraising Naturalist Views of Science” Carleton University Colloquia Series, April 23.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Considering Structural Realism” presented at the Queen’s University Colloquia Series, Oct. 28.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Do Entity Realism and Structural Realism Entail One Another?” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress in Winnipeg in June.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Naturalist Philosophy of Science and Renormalisation Theory” Presented at the panel “Applying Logical Empiricist Metaphilosophy” (co-organised by Dan McArthur and Idil Boran) at the Canadian Philosophical Association Congress in Winnipeg in June.

2004

McArthur, D. 2004. “Recent Structuralist Approaches” presented at the Carleton University Colloquia Series, Oct. 14.

2004

McArthur, D. 2003. “Bachelard’s Dialecticization of Logic” Presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Commentary on Chakravartty’s ‘Dispositional Properties’” Presented to the Canadian Philosophical Association at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Commentary on Leroux’s ‘Bachelard and Lakatos’” Presented at the Ontario Philosophical Society Annual Conference at the University of Ottawa in November.

2003

McArthur, D. 2004. “Consdering ‘Semirealism’” to the Dept. of Philosophy, St. Francis of Xavier University Feb 19, Special Colloquia Invitation.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Is Pickering’s Pragmatic Realism Viable” Presented to the Canadian Philosophical Association at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Realism and the EPR Experiments” Accepted by 21st World Congress of Philosophy, Istanbul Turkey (presentation cancelled due to schedule conflict).

2003

McArthur, D. 2003. “Reconsidering Structural Realism” Presented at the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference in at the Social Science and Humanities Congress in Halifax in June.

2003

McArthur, D. 2002. “Bachelard and Scientific Realism” Presented to the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress at the University of Toronto in May.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Rights Obligations and the Space Program” Presented to The Chaire Hoover d’éthique économique et sociale á Université catholique de Louvain.

2002

McArthur, D. 2002. “Why Bachelard is not a Scientific Realist” Presented at the HOPOS (History of Philosophy of Science) Conference at Concordia University in Montreal in June.

2002

McArthur, D. 2001. “Commentary on O. Schulte’s A Case Study in Formal Learning Theory: Conservation Principles in Particle Physics”, Presented at the Western Canada Philosophical Association Annual Conference, University of Regina.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Commentary on R. Hudson’s Novelty and the 1919 Eclipse Experiments”, Presented at the Western Canada Philosophical Association Annual Conference, University of Regina.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Ethics and the Space Program”, Presented at the Brock University Symposium on Science and the Person.

2001

McArthur, D. 2001. “Whither Corporate Sponsorship?: Ethics, Technology and Corporate Funding of University Research”, Presented at the Ethics Colloquium at The University of Ottawa Annual Interdisciplinary Conference.

2001

McArthur, D. 2000. “Cosmology, Creation and Pseudo Questions”: presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity and Science, organised with the Brock University Faculty of Mathematics and Science.

2000

McArthur, D. 2000. “Realism and Deflationary Metaphysics”: presented to The University of Ottawa Interdisciplinary Research Conference.

2000

McArthur, D. 2000. “Realism and the Hidden Variables Debate”: Presented to the “One Hundred Years of Quantum Theory” Conference at The Faculty of Philosophy at the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.

2000

McArthur, D. 1999. “An Critical Evaluation of Bas van Fraassen’s Philosophy of Science”: presented to University of Ottawa Philosophy Dept. Colloquium.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “Methodology and the Realism Debate”: presented to The Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science Annual Conference at The University of Quebec at Sherbrooke.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “The Environment and the New Scientific Mind”: presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity, Science and the Environment, organised with the Brock University Faculty of Mathematics and Science.

1999

McArthur, D. 1999. “Une analyse de la philosophie des sciences de Bas van Fraassen”: presented to the Faculty of Philosophy at Université de Galatasaray, Istanbul Turkey by invitation as part of their annual series of lectures by specially invited scholars.

1999

McArthur, D. 1998. “God, Grammar and the Universe” (co-authored by Idil Boran) presented to the Brock Philosophical Society Symposium on Humanity and the Cosmos, organised with the Royal Astronomical Society.

1998

McArthur, D. 1998. “Reality, Modality and Semantics; Realism and Bas van Fraassen's Constructive Empiricism” presented to the University of Ottawa School of Graduate Studies and Research 150th Anniversary Current Research Competition.

1998

McArthur, D. 1998. “What good is the Philosophy of Science” presented to REALIA: The Institute for Advanced Philosophic Research Annual Summer Conference.

1998

McArthur, D. 1995. “The Historiography of Science” presented to the University of Ottawa History Society at “The Conference on Sources and Methods”.

1995


Current Courses

Term Course Number Section Title Type
Fall/Winter 2023 AP/MODR1770 6.0 H Techniques of Persuasion LECT
Fall/Winter 2023 AP/MODR1770 6.0 Q Techniques of Persuasion LECT