Eric Winsberg


Eric Winsberg is an American philosopher who is a professor of philosophy at the University of South Florida. He is known for his research in philosophy of science, in particular the philosophy of climate science, and the philosophy of physics. He is especially interested in the role of computer simulations in the physical sciences. His work in the philosophy of climate science specifically relates to its application in science policy and ethics. He also writes on truth and on scientific authorship.

Early life and education

Winsberg was born in New York City on February 4, 1968. His father was a physician and his mother was a data scientist. At an early age, his family moved to Montreal, where he spend most of his childhood. He attended college at The University of Chicago, and then earned his Ph.D, in History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University in 1999.

Philosophical work

Winsberg wrote his doctoral dissertation on the use of computer simulation to study complex physical systems. Over the next several years, he published a number of articles on computer simulation, including their implications for understanding the nature of scientific theories and their application, scientific realism, the role of fiction in science, and the nature of inter-theoretic reduction. His work on computer simulation has been called "pioneering," "groundbreaking," and "trailblazing." He also contributed to the literature on the role of the thermodynamics for understanding the arrow of time. More recently he has devoted much of his attention to topics in climate science, especially the role of values therein, the importance of the chaotic nature of the atmosphere, the nature of probabilities and the role of robust results in climate modeling and climate science generally.

Publications

Books

Journal articles