Vacancy: PhD Researcher Theoretical Philosophy (1,0 fte)

Respond before 26 July 2010. The position is part of the research project ‘What is really possible? Philosophical explorations in branching-history-based real modality’.

Faculty of Humanities

Utrecht University is one of the largest and most prominent universities in Europe. The Faculty of Humanities, with nearly 7.000 students and 900 staff members, offers an inspiring and dynamic working environment. Our research and education programmes focus on language, culture, history, arts, literature, media, philosophy and theology. Our strongest points are interdisciplinary and international collaboration, excellent quality of research and education, and the use of modern media. The research programmes are organised within four institutes:

Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS (UiL-OTS)
Research Institute of History and Culture (OGC)
Research Institute of Philosophy (ZENO)
Research Institute of Theological and Religious Studies (INTEGON)

The Utrecht University Graduate School of Humanities guarantees an outstanding quality of education programmes for Research Master students as well as PhD students.

The faculty is divided into six departments, which includes the Department of Philosophy. The study of philosophy has many different facets, and the Department of Philosophy examines each of these facets from the perspectives of three disciplines: History of Philosophy, Theoretical Philosophy and Practical Philosophy. The department also houses the Ethics Institute, which assists individuals and institutions in dealing with ethical issues.

The Department of Philosophy is looking for a:

PhD Researcher Theoretical Philosophy (1,0 fte)

Job description

The position is part of the research project ‘What is really possible? Philosophical explorations in branching-history-based real modality’, which is a five year project on logical, metaphysical, and philosophy of science-related aspects of modality funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Possibility and necessity are important basic concepts of metaphysics. They are also important for our practical lives due to their intimate connections with concepts such as hope, fear, praise and blame. But which notion of possibility is the appropriate one? There are different notions of possibility that can be distinguished fruitfully. The project aims at studying these notions of possibility with a view to their metaphysical import, their formal properties, and their relation to scientific theories.

An important background assumption for the project is that neither logical possibility nor metaphysical possibility can form the basis of all interesting notions of possibility. The project will rather investigate the unifying power of another useful notion of possibility: possibility based on branching histories, incorporating the idea of an open future. That notion has been investigated with the help of formal models (branching time and Belnap’s branching space-times), but much work needs to be done to understand branching-based possibilities (1) in their metaphysical connection with the notion of substance, (2) in connection with the determinism or indeterminism of physical theories, and (3) with respect to extensions of current formal theories. The PhD candidate is expected to join a small team of researchers in the Theoretical Philosophy unit studying the mentioned questions. Details of the PhD project proper are to be negotiated. Prospective candidates should indicate in their application on which of the mentioned research topics (1)-(3) they wish to focus.

The PhD project is situated in a lively research area of philosophy, with connections to many neighbouring disciplines. Within Utrecht, further connections to researchers in logic, philosophy of physics, history, and artificial intelligence will provide a stimulating environment and a good background for the start of a scientific career.

Qualifications

We are looking for a talented and dedicated student with a Master or
equivalent degree in philosophy. (Candidates with a relevant background in philosophical logic or the foundations of physics may be considered.) The research carried out in the project includes logic and philosophy of science, and the applicant should preferably have a background in this field. Fluency in English is required.

Terms of employment

We offer a full-time PhD position, consisting of an initial period of 18 months which, after a satisfactory first year, will be extended with 30 months (4 years in total) with a gross monthly salary starting at € 2,042.- gross per month in the first year ending at € 2,612.- in the fourth year (1,0 fte).

The position starts in the fall of 2010 or soon hereafter. A starting date in the first months of 2011 is negotiable.

Further details

Additional information on the project can be obtained by sending an e-mail to Thomas Müller at Thomas.Mueller@phil.uu.nl before July 4th 2010.

How to apply

Applications should contain the following:

an application letter in English;
a curriculum vitae in English;
the contact information of two people willing to recommend you for this post;
a writing sample, in English, Dutch or German, of max. 25 pages;
a list of grades.

The application, preferably in the form of PDF documents sent by e-mail, should be addressed to humanitiesjobs.gw@uu.nl or to the Faculty of Humanities, attn. Mrs. J. Lodder (Personnel Department), Kromme Nieuwegracht 46, 3512 HJ, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Please mark all documents with your name and the relevant vacancy number 681035.

The deadline for applications is July 26, 2010.

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