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

The Order of Rovelli’s Time – does time exist?

Posted on November 16, 2018

What is time? Does it even exist? In this paper I will discuss the three main phases of Carlo Rovelli’s philosophy of time, and I will conclude with an analysis of some of the criticism levelled against his view. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Philosophy of Physics, Probability, Ruimte-tijd filosofie, spacetime, time | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

What Does ‘=’ Mean?

Posted on June 11, 2018

It is often said that in mathematical equations, such as ‘2+2=4’, the symbol ‘=’ represents the fact that on both sides of the equation there is the same thing. That’s wrong: on the one side there are three symbols, while … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Philosophy of Mathematics | 2 Comments

Strange Encounters

Posted on May 31, 2018

The man from Dutch Railways (NS) had actually grabbed and stopped my tricycle and walked around to stand in front of me. My front wheel was between his feet, so I couldn’t turn away. He looked at me and said: … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Travels | 5 Comments

Einstein & Kant: Synthetic Relativity?

Posted on March 20, 2018

Einstein’s approach to physics may be compared to Kant’s approach to philosophy. Where Kant derived things about the world we perceive from the possibility of human knowledge, Einstein derived things about the world we perceive from the possibility of human … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Philosophy of Physics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wikimedia2017 lezing – Feiten bestaan!?

Posted on November 4, 2017

Vragen aan het Publiek Steek uw hand omhoog als u denkt dat de uitdrukking klopt. ‘feiten bestaan niet’ ‘feiten kunnen waar of onwaar zijn’ ‘feiten kunnen waargebeurd zijn’ ‘een verhaal kan waargebeurd zijn’ Volgens de Nederlandse Van Dale is een … Continue reading →

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

Paraclimbing Edinburgh

Posted on October 16, 2017

In September I competed for the IFSC Paraclimbing Worldcup in Edinburgh (UK). The two qualification routes went well, but in the finals I fell from the third grip (the grip I’m sitting on in the picture). But I had a … Continue reading →

Posted in paraclimbing, Personal, Travels | Leave a comment

Do Mathematicians Discover or Create?

Posted on October 8, 2017

“Mathematical proof, according to the intuitionist, shouldn’t be based on the metaphysical assumption that the truth is in a sense ‘binary’ (that propositions must be either true or false).” Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics | 2 Comments

Paraclimbing in Imst

Posted on August 14, 2017

Last month* I participated in a paraclimbing competition in Imst, Austria. The wall which we climbed was situated between the beautiful Tiroler mountains. In the movie below you can see my attempt at climbing the second of the six routes … Continue reading →

Posted in paraclimbing, Travels | 1 Comment

What Is Mathematics?

Posted on August 4, 2017

Mathematics is a language. More specifically, mathematics is the language that scientists use to organise and order observations. For example, physicists may describe falling stones in terms of mathematical concepts like parabolas and perfect spheres and sociologists describe their observations … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

PhD Dissertation

Posted on June 8, 2017

I have defended my PhD dissertation on 13/07/2017 in Utrecht. Below you can find the documents which have kept me busy for several years: Preface (English) Samenvatting (Nederlands) Gearfetting (Frysk) Complete Dissertation    

Posted in Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Physics, Probability | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments