I’ve found a publisher for my book on philosophy and physics:
😀 The deadline for the first draft is December 2023, so I have some busy months ahead of me.
As a ‘teaser’, here is the introduction to the first part of the book:
Making sense of the universe
I’ve found a publisher for my book on philosophy and physics:
😀 The deadline for the first draft is December 2023, so I have some busy months ahead of me.
As a ‘teaser’, here is the introduction to the first part of the book:
[Click here to read the English version of this blog post] De tweeling paradox van Einstein staat minder ver van ons af dan we denken. Waarom is hij dan zo duizelingwekkend? Ik heb mijn studenten enige extra begeleiding beloofd, vandaar dit bericht op mijn blog. De lichtklok van Einstein Om na te gaan wat het … Read More “De tweeling/postbode paradox” »
Einstein’s twin paradox is more familiar to us than we think. Then why does it feel so strange? I promised my students some extra guidance, so I wrote this post.
[For a course I am currently teaching at a university in Amsterdam]
My propoposal, “Quantum Theory Is Not As Strange As We Think (or is classical physics stranger than we think?)”, has been accepted by the organisers of the annual conference of the German Physics Society. I am proud of that! I argue that many of the concepts that make quantum theory so hard to swallow (entanglement, … Read More “Understanding the Quantum” »
This Wednesday I’m giving a “pub lecture”: the lecture is both public and in a pub. Drop by if you’re interested! Location: “proeflokaal Faas (Zwaanshals 248, Rotterdam)” (google maps) Attendance is free; no reservation required. Time: 20.00 It is a common thought that classical, Newtonian physics presents us with an intuitive, easy-to-understand picture of what … Read More “Lecture: Newton & Einstein – physics meets philosophy” »
A student of mine is writing his bachelor thesis on “free will, quantum mechanics and the system of justice”. I’m very happy about that, because it gives me an excuse to dive into matters I’ve been interested in since childhood. I want to use this blogpost as a noteblock on which I roughly sketch my … Read More “Quantum theory, free will and justice” »
I am very happy to (re-)start teaching mathematics (calculus) at Amsterdam university in September, while teaching philosophy (the history of epistemology) at Utrecht University from November onwards. In November and December these courses overlap, so the end of the year is going to be a very busy period for me! All this teaching leaves me … Read More “Alice in Numberland, to be continued…” »
“I am Zeno, Zeno the Zebra!” the animal shouted cheerfully when he had come to the spot where Alice and her travel-companion stood. When the Zebra offered one of his muddy hoofs for a handshake, Alice remembered what her dear uncle always said: “It is bad-mannered to refuse someone’s handshake”
Previously in ‘Numbers in Wonderland’
“I don’t believe a word you say!” Alice’s mother yelled at the little girl.
Yesterday, before Alice’s adventure in the rabbit hole began, her mother had been very angry with her for eating all the tea biscuits. Alice remembered that her eyes filled with tears at seeing her mother so angry, but it had also made her wonder: “How can anyone believe words? Surely, words don’t say things, like people do, so why would you ever believe them? It seemed the oddest thing to do…