David B. Malament
Distinguished Professor, Logic & Philosophy of Science
School of Social Sciences
School of Social Sciences
PH.D., Rockefeller University
University of California, Irvine
757 SST
Mail Code: 5100
Irvine, CA 92697
757 SST
Mail Code: 5100
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
relativity theory, philosophy of space and time, foundations of physics
Websites
Academic Distinctions
member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Whitehead Lecturer at Harvard; Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Research Abstract
I am interested in the mathematical and philosophical foundations of modern physics. I have done some work on classical equilibrium statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. But most of my work has dealt with problems of spacetime structure and the foundations of relativity theory. Topics have included: (i) the "causal structure" of spacetime; (ii) the relation of relativity theory to Newtonian gravitation theory; (iii) Gödel's model of spacetime structure; and (iv) rotation in relativity theory. I am presently trying to bring together these investigations (and others) in a book on the foundations of relativity theory.
For more information, and a list of publications, see my home page.
For more information, and a list of publications, see my home page.
Publications
"The Class of Continuous Timelike Curves Determines the Topology of Spacetime", THE JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS, vol. 18, no. 7, 1977.
"Minimal Acceleration Requirements for 'Time Travel' in Gödel Spacetime", THE JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS, vol. 26, no. 4, 1985.
"Critical Notice: Itamar Pitowsky, Quantum Probability–Quantum Logic", PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE, vol. 59, no. 2, 1992.
"Is Newtonian Cosmology Really Inconsistent?", PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE, vol. 62, no. 4, 1995.
"A No-Go Theorem About Rotation in Relativity Theory", in Malament, D. (ed.), READING NATURAL PHILOSOPHY (Essays Dedicated to Howard Stein on His 70th Birthday), Open Court Press, 2002.
"On Relative Orbital Rotation in General Relativity", in Ashtekar, A. (ed.), REVISITING THE FOUNDATIONS OF RELATIVISTIC PHYSICS: Festschrift for John Stachel, Kluwer, 2003.
"On the Time Reversal Invariance of Classical Electromagnetic Theory", STUDIES IN THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN PHYSICS, vol. 35B, no. 2, 2004.
Professional Societies
American Philosophical Association
Philosophy of Science Association
Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=4504
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=4504
Last updated
10/14/2004
10/14/2004