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, chemical reactions and 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). I am the recipient of a Marie-Sklodowska Curie postdoctoral fellowship, running the European Research Council Project CReaCaL ‘Chemical Reactions as Causes and Laws’ (grant no. 101064082 ) at the University of Athens.
OpinionHow much science should there be in philosophy?
A debate about metaphysics that’s crucial to how we understand the world
OpinionThere’s more to alchemy than its mystical nature
It was crucial to the development of chemistry
OpinionThe nuances of chemical confirmation
Supporting a hypothesis is more difficult than it might seem
OpinionThe rise of techno-science
Appreciating technology’s role in understanding how the world works
OpinionDo bond classifications help or hinder chemistry?
Ionic, covalent, metallic and more… but there’s debate about whether bonds are real at all
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