Dr John Wright
| Work Phone | (02) 4921 5182 |
|---|---|
| Fax | (02) 4921 6928 |
| John.Wright@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position |
Senior Lecturer
School of Humanities and Social Science
|
| Office | MC113, McMullin Building |
Biography
In my research I have endeavoured to produce solutions to problems in the following areas:
- How is the novel predictive success of science to be explained?
The answer I favour appeals to a notion of the independence of theory from data. This is explored in books Science and the Theory of Rationality(Avebury, 1991) and The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Scientific Method (in progress)
- Is our preference for simple theories in science to be rationally justified?
The answer I favour is “Yes”, and the reasons are defended in Science and the Theory of Rationality.
- What is the Realism/anti-Realism issue? How is it to be resolved?
The view I favour is that this is to be seen as a thesis about explanatory priority. This is explored in book Realism and Explanatory Priority (Kluwer, 1997)
- What factors determine personal identity over time?
The view I favour is termed the seat of consciousness view of personal identity. This has been defended in papers.
- Does the operation of the free market produce ethically acceptable outcomes?
I have argued that the answer to this question is no. This is defended in book The Ethics of Economic Rationalism (UNSW Press, 2003) and Where Did Fair Go? (in progress)
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Melbourne
- Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne
Research
Research keywords
- metaphysics, philosophy of science, ethics and economics
Research expertise
I have published in the following areas: Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science, Critical Thinking and educational philosophy, Metaphysics, particularly Realism and anti-Realism, Philosophy of Mind, particularly personal identity, and political philosophy, especially as it relates to issues of ethics and economics.
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 220300 | Philosophy | 100 |
Centres and Groups
Group
Appointments
|
Visiting Scholar
University of Oxford (United Kingdom) |
01/09/1993 - 01/12/1993 |
|
Visiting Scholar
University of Oxford (United Kingdom) |
01/09/1993 - 01/12/1993 |
|
Visiting scholar
University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) |
01/09/2005 - 01/12/2005 |
|
Visiting scholar
University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) |
01/09/2010 - 01/12/2010 |
Invitations
|
John Wright/ curriculumn monitor
Australian Catholic University, Australia (External Reviewer - Departments.) |
2003 |
Administrative
Administrative expertise
I have served as Head of Department of Philosophy, and Convenor of Discipline of Philosophy. I have also served on numerous committees, including Faculty Research committees, Board of Environmental Studies and Faculty steering committees. I have also served on three Appointment committees.
Teaching
Teaching keywords
- metaphysics
Teaching expertise
I have taught in: History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Logic, Critical Thinking, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Art, Metaphysics and philosophy of Mind.