Katherine Astrid Brading (born 1970) is a

philosopher of science 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 ...

and

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...

whose works have concerned

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

, and

Émilie du Châtelet Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet (; 17 December 1706 – 10 September 1749) was a French mathematician and physicist. Her most recognized achievement is her philosophical magnum opus, ''Institutions de Physique'' ...

. Educated in England, she works in the US as a professor of philosophy at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Education

Brading earned a bachelor's degree in physics and philosophy from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

in 1992. She completed her doctorate (D.Phil.) at

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a ...

in 2001, with the dissertation ''Symmetries, conservation laws, and Noether's variational problem''. In 2017 she moved from a position as professor of philosophy at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

to her present position at

. Since 2022 she has chaired the Department of Philosophy at Duke.

Books

Brading is the author of ''Émilie Du Châtelet and the Foundations of Physical Science'' (Routledge, 2019). With Elena Castellani, she is co-editor of ''Symmetries in Physics: Philosophical Reflections'' (Cambridge University Press, 2003). She is the coauthor of ''Philosophical Mechanics in the Age of Reason'' (with Marius Stan, Oxford University Press, 2023).

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brading, Katherine 1970 births Living people Philosophers of science Historians of science Women philosophers Women historians Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Notre Dame faculty Duke University faculty 21st-century philosophers