Author Archives: fbenedictus

About fbenedictus

Philosopher of physics at Amsterdam University College and Utrecht University, managing editor for Foundations of Physics and international paraclimbing athlete

Exploring the Limits of Physics

I’ve found a publisher for my book on philosophy and physics: World Scientific. 😀 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Einstein’s light postulate saves Galileo

Good evening (local time)! I’d like to share with you the answer I gave to one of my students earlier today. He asked how Einstein’s postulate of a constant light speed (independent from an observer’s own state of motion) can … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

De tweeling/postbode paradox

[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 … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The twin/postmen 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Understanding the Quantum

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Lecture: Newton & Einstein – physics meets philosophy

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quantum theory, free will and justice

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. … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Alice in Numberland, to be continued…

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Numbers in Wonderland | 1 Comment

Zeno the Zebra and the Truth in the Middle

Alice in Wonderland discovers that when the truth is in the middle, everyone is wrong. Continue reading

Posted in Numbers in Wonderland | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Zeno the Zebra

Alice in Wonderland meets Zeno the Zebra for the first time. Short story by philosopher of mathematics. Continue reading

Posted in Numbers in Wonderland, Philosophy of Mathematics | Tagged , | 1 Comment