David Z. Albert (born 1954) is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the MA Program in The
Philosophical Foundations of Physics at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in New York.
Education and career
He received his bachelor's degree in physics from
Columbia College (1976) and his
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in theoretical physics from
The Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classifi ...
(1981) under Professor Nicola Khuri. Afterwards he worked with
Yakir Aharonov of
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...
. He has spent most of his career in the
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
department at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, although he has also been a frequent visiting professor of philosophy at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
. In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other F ...
.
Philosophical work
Albert has published four books—''Quantum Mechanics and Experience'' (1992), ''Time and Chance'' (2000), ''After Physics'' (2015), and ''A Guess at the Riddle'' (2023)—as well as numerous articles on
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
. His books have been both praised and criticized for their informal, conversational style.
Public philosophy
Appearance in ''What the Bleep Do We Know!?''
Albert appeared in the controversial movie ''
What the Bleep Do We Know!?
''What the Bleep Do We Know!?'' (stylized as ''What tнē #$*! D̄ө ωΣ (k)πow!?'' and ''What the #$*! Do We Know!?'') is a 2004 American pseudo-scientific film that posits a spiritual connection between quantum physics and consciousness (as ...
'' (2004). According to an article published in ''
Popular Science
Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
'', he was "outraged at the final product." The article states that Albert granted the filmmakers a near-four hour interview about quantum mechanics being unrelated to consciousness or spirituality. His interview was then edited and incorporated into the film in a way that misrepresented his views. In the article, Albert also expresses his feelings of gullibility after having been "taken" by the filmmakers. Although Albert is listed as a scientist taking part in the sequel to ''What the Bleep'', called "Down the Rabbit Hole", this sequel is a "director's cut", composed of extra footage from the filming of the first movie.
Feud with Lawrence Krauss
In March 2012, Albert published an extremely negative review of
Lawrence Krauss' book ''
A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing'' in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' book review.
Krauss claimed that his book counters religion and philosophy, and the book was cited by
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...
as comparable to
Darwin’s ''
Origin of Species
''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life'')The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by M ...
'', on the grounds that it upends the “last trump card of the theologian.” In his review, Albert lamented the way in which books like Krauss' forward critiques of religion that are "pale, small, silly, nerdy”, and expresses how "the whole business of approaching the struggle with religion as if it were a card game, or a horse race, or some kind of battle of wits, just feels all wrong".
Disagreeing with the central thesis of Krauss' book, Albert wrote:
Krauss reacted vehemently and responded in an interview published in ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 185 ...
'', calling Albert “moronic” and dismissing the philosophy of science as worthless. In March 2013, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that Albert, who had previously been invited to speak at the
Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
, at which Krauss was also an invited speaker, was later disinvited.
Albert claimed "It sparked a suspicion that Krauss must have demanded that I not be invited. But of course I’ve got no proof."
See also
*
Past hypothesis
References
External links
David Albert faculty pageDavid Albert Interview at BigThink.com Discussing the measurement problem in quantum mechanics theory (53 minutes).
Video discussionswith
Sean Carroll about science related topics on
Bloggingheads.tv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert, David
Columbia University faculty
Rockefeller University alumni
Living people
1954 births
21st-century American philosophers
Philosophers of physics
Philosophers from New York (state)
Columbia College (New York) alumni