Vanessa Seifert
I am interested in exploring philosophical issues from the novel perspective of chemistry. I work on the relation between chemistry and quantum mechanics as well as on the nature of chemical bonds and the existence of molecular structure. My undergraduate studies were in Chemical Engineering (National Technical University of Athens). I have an MSc in Philosophy of Science (LSE) and a PhD in Philosophy (University of Bristol). Until recently, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Philosophy Department of the University of Bristol, working for the European Research Council Project ‘The Metaphysical Unity of Science’ (grant no. 771509). Currently, I am a teaching fellow in Philosophy at the University of Athens.
OpinionChemistry’s history through the feminist lens
Examining how science excludes women and other underrepresented groups
OpinionDoes the periodic table reveal laws of nature?
There could be more to learn from ordering the elements
OpinionIn search of the chemical bond
Philosophy of science can help us discover new ways of understanding whether bonds really exist
OpinionHow chemistry provides a unique perspective on causation
Philosophical mysteries around chemical reactions
OpinionThe different shades of sexist science
How supposedly scientific arguments for the inferiority of women support gender discrimination
OpinionRethinking our relationship to nature
How the scientific revolution made it culturally permissible to exploit the environment
OpinionScience as a product of culture
The role of background beliefs and assumptions in the development of science
OpinionWhat’s revolutionary about the Chemical Revolution?
How an event in chemistry shaped philosophy
OpinionHow values influence decisions in science
Empirical evidence is not always sufficient to determine the models we use
OpinionHow philosophy helps solve puzzles in chemistry
Without realising it, chemists use a range of philosophical tools to probe the world
OpinionWhy do we still do chemistry?
It’s still not clear whether quantum chemistry has all the answers