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Born
Born in Bristol, England -
BS in Physics
University of Bristol -
MS in Physics
University of Manchester -
PhD in Electromagnetic Theory
University of London -
Postdoc Fellow
Was a Postdoc Fellow at University of Sydney, which is where he started his official career in the philosophy of science. -
Period: to
Member of Department of General Philosophy
University of Sydney -
Publication of What is this Thing Called Science
Very popular book and an introduction to the philosophy of science. It has undergone several editions. The book tries to argue against empiricism and promotes falsificationism. Chalmers, A. (2013). What is this Thing Called Science. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, 4th edition. -
Period: to
Head of Department of History and Philosophy of Science
University of Sydney -
Publication of Science and Its Fabrication
He argues that science is neither universal nor ahistorical, but also argues against relativism. Science is a modern construct, but it is not an historical equivalent with magic and alchemy, etc. Chalmers, A. (1990). Science and Its Fabrication. Univ. of Minnesota Press. -
Retired
Retired from active teaching, but continued on at a few Universities as a visiting fellow and visiting scholar in the philosophy of science. -
Publication of Intermediate Causes and Explanations
Argues an important factor in the scientific revolution was a shift from understanding a process by its intermediate observations and looking at the higher level explanations for any effect. This allowed for the formation of theories that could be applied to seemingly unrelated phenomenon. Chalmers, A. (2012). Intermediate causes and explanations: The key to understanding the scientific revolution. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 43 (4):551-562. -
Publication of Viewing Past Science from the Point of View of Present Science
The Scientific Revolution replaced the Aristotelian worldview and experimentation became the primary means of scientific inquiry. Chalmers, A. (2016). Viewing past science from the point of view of present science, thereby illuminating both: Philosophy versus experiment in the work of Robert Boyle. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 55:27-35.
