Research Interests

Research in our informal group is focused on the possibility of carrying out a reductionist, one-universe, explanation of the origins of life. This involves, first, a clarification of what “life” might mean, and hence a general direction for the research program, second, a biochemical understanding of certain reactive and catalytic properties of abiotic minerals, third, the provision of a causal model at a sub-atomic level which will, in turn, explain why the biochemical states and processes invoked have the functional-structural character that they exhibit. We began with a generally functional account of “life,” focusing in particular on metabolism and hence moving along “metabolism first” lines, then developed a biochemical account that importantly intersects what Peters and his group are doing, i.e., the focus is on complex iron-sulphur compounds, and then finally moved to so-called decoherence models of quantum mechanical states that allow us to take the environment into account and thus introduce something like natural selection pressures in the evolution of QM systems (following, e.g., Zurek and others). We are now trying to work out more of the details, in particular, the ways in which various biochemical states and processes (which are not necessarily carbon-based) “realize” metabolism and in which QM systems, through something like a process of “adaptation,” give the appearance of wave-function collapse. I bring to the group an interest in the history and philosophy of physics, theory-testing and the concept of evidence, and the clear and rigorous articulation of basic concepts. Members of the group have presented their work at conferences in California, Italy, and Switzerland over the past year.

Selected Publications

“Determinism, Determination, and the Transcendental Philosophy,” in Bitbol, et. al. eds. Physics and the Transcendental Philosophy (Kluwer Publishing, 2009).

 Collaborators

Prasanta Bandyopadhyay (statistical inference)
Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
Montana State University

Linda Barr (pre-biotic life)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Montana State University

Nathan Haydon (decoherence quantum mechanics)
Departments of Physics and History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies

Montana State University

Shawn McGlynn (pre-biotic life)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Montana State University

Olin Robus (conceptual analysis)
Department of History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies
Montana State University

Eric Schneider (thermodyamical explanation of teleological systems)
Hawkwood Institute
Livingston, Montana

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 12/4/08