Alexander Rosenberg
Encyclopedia
Alexander Rosenberg is an American philosopher, and the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University
.
Rosenberg was educated at Stuyvesant High School
, the City College of New York
and Johns Hopkins University
. He received the Lakatos Award
in 1993 and was the National Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Lecturer in 2006.
He describes himself as a naturalist
.
and especially the philosophy of economics
. His doctoral dissertation, published as Microeconomic Laws in 1976, was the first treatment of the nature of economics by a contemporary philosopher of science. Over the period of the next decade he became increasingly skeptical about neoclassical economics
as an empirical theory.
Rosenberg later shifted to work on issues in the philosophy of science
that are raised by biology. He became especially interested in the relationship between molecular biology and other parts of biology. Rosenberg introduced the concept of supervenience
to the treatment of intertheoretical relations in biology, soon after Donald Davidson
began to exploit Richard Hare's notion in the philosophy of psychology. Rosenberg is among the few biologists and fewer philosophers of science who reject the consensus view that combines physicalism
with antireductionism
(see his 2010 on-line debate with John Dupré
at Philosophy TV).
Rosenberg also coauthored an influential book on David Hume
with Tom Beauchamp
, Hume and the Problem of Causation
, arguing that Hume was not a skeptic about induction but an opponent of rationalist theories of inductive inference.
Rosenberg's interests in social science and biology led him to write a series of papers on the bearing of differences in biological endowment on equality, the treatment of intellectual property rights in biotechnological discoveries, and the arguments advanced in the 1990s for sequencing the human genome.
In 2009 Rosenberg participated in on-line debates about economics prompted by the 2008 recession and by Paul Krugman
's assessment of economic theory's response to it.
of Mendelian concepts blocks traditional derivational reduction was examined critically by C. Kenneth Waters. His later account of reduction in developmental biology were criticized by Gunter Wagner. Elliot Sober's "Multiple realization arguments against reductionism" reflects a shift towards Rosenberg's critique of anti-reductionist arguments of Putnam's and Fodor's.
But Elliot Sober has also challenged Rosenberg’s view that the principle of natural selection is the only biological law.
The explanatory role of the principle of natural selection and the nature of evolutionary probabilities defended by Rosenberg were subject to counter arguments by Brandon and later by Dennis Walsh. Rosenberg's account of the nature of drift and the role of probability in the theory of natural selection draws on significant parallels between the principle of natural selection and the second law of thermodynamics.
In the philosophy of social science, Rosenberg’s more skeptical views about microeconomics
were challenged first by Wade Hands and later by Daniel Hausman in several books and articles. The financial crisis of 2008-09 resulted in renewed attention to Rosenberg's skeptical views about microeconomics
. Biologist Richard Lewontin
and historian Joseph Fracchia express skepticism about Rosenberg’s claim that functional explanations in social science require Darwinian underlying mechanisms.
, established the University Honors Program at the University of California, Riverside
and directed the honors program at the University of Georgia
. At Georgia he redesigned and organized the Foundation Fellows Program. Since 2007 he has been the director of the Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship Program.
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Rosenberg was educated at Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
, the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He received the Lakatos Award
Lakatos Award
The Lakatos Award is given annually for a contribution to the philosophy of science which is widely interpreted as outstanding. The contribution must be in the form of a book published in English during the previous six years....
in 1993 and was the National Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Lecturer in 2006.
He describes himself as a naturalist
Naturalism
Naturalism is any of several philosophical stances wherein all phenomena or hypotheses, commonly labeled as supernatural, are either false or not inherently different from natural phenomena or hypotheses.Naturalism may also refer to:-In the arts:...
.
Research and scholarship
His early work focused on the philosophy of social sciencePhilosophy of social science
The philosophy of social science is the study of the logic and method of the social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology and political science...
and especially the philosophy of economics
Philosophy of economics
Philosophy and economics may refer to the branch of philosophy that studies issues relating to economics or, alternatively, to the branch of economics that studies its own foundations and status as a moral science....
. His doctoral dissertation, published as Microeconomic Laws in 1976, was the first treatment of the nature of economics by a contemporary philosopher of science. Over the period of the next decade he became increasingly skeptical about neoclassical economics
Neoclassical economics
Neoclassical economics is a term variously used for approaches to economics focusing on the determination of prices, outputs, and income distributions in markets through supply and demand, often mediated through a hypothesized maximization of utility by income-constrained individuals and of profits...
as an empirical theory.
Rosenberg later shifted to work on issues in the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
that are raised by biology. He became especially interested in the relationship between molecular biology and other parts of biology. Rosenberg introduced the concept of supervenience
Supervenience
In philosophy, supervenience is a kind of dependency relationship. For example, mental states might depend on physical brain states. This dependency is typically held to obtain between sets of properties. A classic example is that mental states of pain supervene on 'C-fibers firing'...
to the treatment of intertheoretical relations in biology, soon after Donald Davidson
Donald Davidson (philosopher)
Donald Herbert Davidson was an American philosopher born in Springfield, Massachusetts, who served as Slusser Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley from 1981 to 2003 after having also held teaching appointments at Stanford University, Rockefeller University, Princeton...
began to exploit Richard Hare's notion in the philosophy of psychology. Rosenberg is among the few biologists and fewer philosophers of science who reject the consensus view that combines physicalism
Physicalism
Physicalism is a philosophical position holding that everything which exists is no more extensive than its physical properties; that is, that there are no kinds of things other than physical things...
with antireductionism
Antireductionism
Antireductionism is a reaction against reductionism, which instead advocates holism. Although "breaking complex phenomena into parts, is a key method in science," there are those complex phenomena where some resistance to or rebellion against this approach arises, primarily due to the perceived...
(see his 2010 on-line debate with John Dupré
John Dupré
John Dupré is a professional philosopher of science. He is the director of the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society and professor of philosophy at the University of Exeter. Dupré was educated at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge and taught at Oxford, Stanford University and...
at Philosophy TV).
Rosenberg also coauthored an influential book on David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
with Tom Beauchamp
Tom Beauchamp
Tom L. Beauchamp is an American philosopher and bioethicist. He currently serves as Professor of Philosophy and Senior Research Scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. He earned his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in 1963, a B.D. from Yale Divinity School, and...
, Hume and the Problem of Causation
Hume and the Problem of Causation
Hume and the Problem of Causation is a book written by Tom Beauchamp and Alexander Rosenberg, published in 1981 by Oxford University Press....
, arguing that Hume was not a skeptic about induction but an opponent of rationalist theories of inductive inference.
Rosenberg's interests in social science and biology led him to write a series of papers on the bearing of differences in biological endowment on equality, the treatment of intellectual property rights in biotechnological discoveries, and the arguments advanced in the 1990s for sequencing the human genome.
In 2009 Rosenberg participated in on-line debates about economics prompted by the 2008 recession and by Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
's assessment of economic theory's response to it.
Critical discussions of Rosenberg’s work
Rosenberg’s treatment of fitness as a supervenient property which is undefined concept in the theory of natural selection is criticized by Brandon and Beatty. His original development of how the supervenienceSupervenience
In philosophy, supervenience is a kind of dependency relationship. For example, mental states might depend on physical brain states. This dependency is typically held to obtain between sets of properties. A classic example is that mental states of pain supervene on 'C-fibers firing'...
of Mendelian concepts blocks traditional derivational reduction was examined critically by C. Kenneth Waters. His later account of reduction in developmental biology were criticized by Gunter Wagner. Elliot Sober's "Multiple realization arguments against reductionism" reflects a shift towards Rosenberg's critique of anti-reductionist arguments of Putnam's and Fodor's.
But Elliot Sober has also challenged Rosenberg’s view that the principle of natural selection is the only biological law.
The explanatory role of the principle of natural selection and the nature of evolutionary probabilities defended by Rosenberg were subject to counter arguments by Brandon and later by Dennis Walsh. Rosenberg's account of the nature of drift and the role of probability in the theory of natural selection draws on significant parallels between the principle of natural selection and the second law of thermodynamics.
In the philosophy of social science, Rosenberg’s more skeptical views about microeconomics
Microeconomics
Microeconomics is a branch of economics that studies the behavior of how the individual modern household and firms make decisions to allocate limited resources. Typically, it applies to markets where goods or services are being bought and sold...
were challenged first by Wade Hands and later by Daniel Hausman in several books and articles. The financial crisis of 2008-09 resulted in renewed attention to Rosenberg's skeptical views about microeconomics
Microeconomics
Microeconomics is a branch of economics that studies the behavior of how the individual modern household and firms make decisions to allocate limited resources. Typically, it applies to markets where goods or services are being bought and sold...
. Biologist Richard Lewontin
Richard Lewontin
Richard Charles "Dick" Lewontin is an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist and social commentator. A leader in developing the mathematical basis of population genetics and evolutionary theory, he pioneered the notion of using techniques from molecular biology such as gel electrophoresis to...
and historian Joseph Fracchia express skepticism about Rosenberg’s claim that functional explanations in social science require Darwinian underlying mechanisms.
Administrative career in undergraduate education
Rosenberg was associate director of the Arts and Sciences College Honors Program at Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, established the University Honors Program at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
and directed the honors program at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. At Georgia he redesigned and organized the Foundation Fellows Program. Since 2007 he has been the director of the Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship Program.