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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 14h

Did you know that Cassirer developed his neo-Kantian account of quantum theory in discussion with Bohr and Schrödinger? And that he can help us make sense of Wheeler’s “it from bit” thesis?

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 25d

Here’s my talk on John Wheeler and Ernst Cassirer, delivered at Oxford’s Philosophy of Physics Seminar in June!

I suggest that Cassirer’s critical idealism helps us to make sense of the implications of quantum information theory for the nature of physical reality!

#philsky #philsci

George Webster: "It from Bit" as a critical idealist proposal

YouTube video by Oxford Philosophy of Physics

youtu.be

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 3d

Is “when closed” really necessary here, Thermos?

A cardboard sleeve for a thermos flask, stating “leak proof when closed”.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 4d

A lovely (£500 bursary + free proofreading) scheme for dyslexic graduate students.

#philsky

Lex Academic @lexacademic.bsky.social · 7d

It is Dyslexia Awareness Week and we are proud to announce the 2026 Lex Academic Scholarships for dyslexic postgraduate students working in #Classics, #Philosophy, and #ArtHistory.

Please share widely!

#dyslexiaawarenessweek #dyslexiaawarenessmonth

www.lexacademic.com/scholarships

Scholarships - Lex Academic®

www.lexacademic.com

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 6d

Awesome! I’m a huge fan of ‘Exhalation’ - always makes me think of Deleuze and process philosophy. Great to see a volume like this exists.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 10d

Very happy to be starting a new role - Stipendiary Lecturer in Philosophy - at Worcester College @ox.ac.uk!

What an idyllic workplace!

#academicsky #philsky #philsci

The main quad in Worcester College, Oxford. (I.e., posh buildings surrounding a square of grass.)

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 10d

Which episode?

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 15d

Very keen to read this!

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 17d

Lots of philosophers do the sort of thing you’re after - and that’s interesting! But it’s not what I’m doing in this particular project.

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Reposted by George Webster

I Support People Protesting in Support of Palestinian Action @srdfrench.bsky.social · 24d

My essay ‘Breaking the Chain’ is up at Aeon magazine:

aeon.co/essays/why-q...

It summarises the argument of my book (A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics, OUP) that the Husserlian underpinnings of a crucial text in the history of quantum physics have been overlooked.
#physics
#philsci

Why quantum mechanics needs phenomenology | Aeon Essays

The role of the conscious observer has posed a stubborn problem for quantum measurement. Phenomenology offers a solution

aeon.co

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Reposted by George Webster

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 25d

Here’s my talk on John Wheeler and Ernst Cassirer, delivered at Oxford’s Philosophy of Physics Seminar in June!

I suggest that Cassirer’s critical idealism helps us to make sense of the implications of quantum information theory for the nature of physical reality!

#philsky #philsci

George Webster: "It from Bit" as a critical idealist proposal

YouTube video by Oxford Philosophy of Physics

youtu.be

3 4 12

Reposted by George Webster

Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 25d

A fantastic kickoff tonight of the Boston Network for History & Philosophy of Physics, organized by @miguelohn.bsky.social & featuring talk by Peter Galison on his work with the Black Hole Initiative. #HPS ⚛️

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 25d

I don’t know what you mean - sorry!

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · 25d

Here’s my talk on John Wheeler and Ernst Cassirer, delivered at Oxford’s Philosophy of Physics Seminar in June!

I suggest that Cassirer’s critical idealism helps us to make sense of the implications of quantum information theory for the nature of physical reality!

#philsky #philsci

George Webster: "It from Bit" as a critical idealist proposal

YouTube video by Oxford Philosophy of Physics

youtu.be

3 4 12

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Sep 11

Thanks for reading the paper! One can always find my (current) email through my bio on here or by googling me. Do send your thoughts.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Sep 4

Copenhagen Winter School in Phenomenology

PhD course on phenomenology

cfs.ku.dk

George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Sep 3

We’ve been interviewing online since 2020. And the North (especially the North East) is still woefully underrepresented!

I just worked on a week-long residential for school pupils from Newcastle & Durham. There’s so much talent and potential, but we need to encourage their applications!

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Reposted by George Webster

Institute of Physics @instituteofphysics.bsky.social · Aug 28

This November, the Royal Institution will host two incredible days of talks and discussions with some of the world’s leading minds - featuring Nobel laureate Professor Anton Zeilinger, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Artur Ekert, Helen Margolis, and more.

👉 Save your place: iop.eventsair.com/qst2025/

Promotional image for an event by the Institute of Physics titled "Quantum Science and Technology: The first 100 years; a quantum future," scheduled from November 4 to 5, 2025, at the Royal Institution, London. The background features swirling galaxy-like designs in purple and blue tones.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Aug 3

Thanks!

Reposted by George Webster

Baptiste Le Bihan @baptistelebihan.bsky.social · Aug 3

CFP: Philosophy and Metaphysics of String Theory, Dec 9-10, Geneva
philevents.org/event/show/1...

Philosophy and Metaphysics of String Theory

This two-day workshop brings together philosophers and physicists to explore metaphysical and philosophical questions in string theory, broadly understood, i.e. including non-perturbative approac...

philevents.org

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Aug 2

Indeed - another survey is in order!!

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Aug 1

Agreed! It’s certainly sad to see fewer physicists working in Q foundations than one might expect. But that’s not to say most don’t hold a view.

And my original observation is just that, of those who hold some view, physicists and philosophers tend to diverge.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Jul 31

Yep! I take it that “shut up and calculate” just is an injunction not to engage in the question of interpretation.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Jul 31

Neither do ~98% of physicists, according to the survey. Almost everyone seems to care somewhat about what QM says (or doesn’t say) about the world - that is, about which interpretation is correct.

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Jul 31

Most philosophers of physics I’ve met lean towards the Everett “Many Worlds” interpretation. That’s in stark contrast to the ~85% of physicists who (in the linked survey) favour the alternatives!

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George Webster @georgewebster.bsky.social · Jul 31

What really interests me about this survey is how much physicists (who presumably make up most respondents) and philosophers (in my experience) diverge when it comes to the interpretation of QM.

#philsky #philsci

Elizabeth Gibney @lizziegibney.bsky.social · Jul 30

This year quantum physics turns 100, so @nature.com decided to conduct the biggest ever survey of what lies behind it. Do physicists really believe in multiple universes? Can influences happen instantaneously? Is the Copenhagen interpretation all it's cut out to be? ⚛️🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Physicists disagree wildly on what quantum mechanics says about reality, Nature survey shows

First major attempt to chart researchers’ views finds interpretations in conflict.

www.nature.com

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