Daian Bica

I am a PhD student at the HHU-Düsseldorf and my dissertation deals with the interplay between general philosophy of science (e.g. the realism-antirealism debate) and metaphysics  of science (e.g. the concept of laws of nature). From a historical perspective, I am particularly interested in the modern concept of law in the context of Newtonian philosophy of science.

The focus of my dissertation is the question of what is it like to be perspectival realist (cf. Giere 2006, Mitchell 2019, Massimi 2022). Furthermore, I show that perspectival realism is a spectrum of competing approaches, with scientific pluralism and realism representing the extreme ends of the purported spectrum. This approach allows me to highlight the perceived weaknesses of the position.

I then analyse whether perspectival realism can represent a stable middle ground. In order to answer this question, I establish certain criteria of success that follow from the existing perspectival positions. My working hypothesis is based on the example of Barry Loewer's package deal approach (cf. Loewer 2020, 2024). Within this approach, I offer different readings of pluralism and realism. My perspectival reading of PDA can both fulfil the established conditions for success and provide a stable middle position.

• Daian Bica (2022): Navigating Massimi’s Perspectival Garden with Inferential Forking Paths, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 35 (3-4): 291-303.
• Daian Bica (2020): Causal Powers in the Framework of the Early Modernity, Journal of Early Modern Studies 9 (2): 141-150.
• Daian Bica (2020): Thinking with Mechanisms: Mechanical Philosophy and Early Modern Science, Journal of Early Modern Studies (1): 133-141