Department of Philosophy

Jamie Shaw

jm447 — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:07:27 +0000

Jamie Shaw jm447 Tue, 06/23/2026 - 11:07

Last name

Shaw

First name

Jamie

Position / job title

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Education

PhD in Philosophy (University of Western Ontario)

MA and BA in Philosophy (Queen’s University)

Research Interests

Philosophy of science, science policy, history of philosophy of science, environmental philosophy

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Jamie began a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Philosophy at Queen’s University in 2026 as a part of the SSHRC-funded project entitled “Epistemic Corruption” supervised by Professors Sergio Sismondo and Daryn Lehoux. Prior to this, he was a postdoc at Leibniz University, Hannover and at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. His research primarily centers around science funding policy, engaging in questions relating to the use of peer review in evaluating research promise. This engagement is inspired by the pluralism advocated by Paul Feyerabend. Beyond this, his research draws upon historical research on figures such as Feyerabend, Thomas Kuhn, Arne Naess, and Michael Polanyi. His research also involved a perennial interest in environmental philosophy, with a focus on practices involving regenerative agriculture. His dissertation, A Pluralism Worth Having: Feyerabend’s Well-Ordered Science, was completed in 2018 at the University of Western Ontario under the supervision of Kathleen Okruhlik.

Personal Website

Publications

Edited Volumes

Tsou, J., Shaw, J. & Fehr, C. 2025. Values, Pluralism, and Pragmatism: Themes from the Work of Matthew J. Brown. Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science.

Shaw, J. & Bschir, K. 2021. Interpreting Feyerabend: Critical Papers. Cambridge University Press.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles

Shaw, J. 2025. “Funding Big Science: Managing Diversity, Social Responsibility, and Limited Resources.” European Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 15(74).

Shaw, J. 2024. “Bias, Lotteries, and Affirmative Action in Science Funding Policy.” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science.

Shaw, J. 2023. “Peer Review, Innovation, and Predicting the Future of Science: The Scope of Lotteries in Science Funding Policy.” Philosophy of Science, 90(5): 1297-1306.

Shaw, J. 2023. “Peer Review in Funding-by-Lottery: A Systematic Overview and Expansion.” Research Evaluation, 32(1): 86-100.

Shaw, J. 2022. “There and Back Again: Revisiting Vannevar Bush, the Linear Model, and the Freedom of Science.” Research Policy, 51(10), 104610.

Shaw, J. 2022. “On the Very Idea of Pursuitworthiness.” Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, 19: 103-112.

Shaw, J. 2021. “Feyerabend’s Well-Ordered Science: How an Anarchist Distributes Funds.” Synthese, 68: 419-449.

Shaw, J. 2017. “Was Feyerabend an Anarchist? The Structure(s) of ‘Anything Goes’.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Part A, 64: 11-21.

Selected Book Chapters

Shaw, J. 2026. “The Values of Science Funding Institutions” in K. Elliott & T. Richards (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Values in Science. New York: Routledge, pp. 281-293.

Shaw, J. 2025. “The Limits of Ethical Pluralism: Mill, Feyerabend, and Experiments of Living” in J. Tsou, J. Shaw, & C. Fehr (eds.), Values, Pluralism, and Pragmatism: Themes from the Work of Matthew J. Brown. Boston Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, pp. 23–44

Shaw, J. 2025. “Funding Priorities and Climate Change: Lessons from Agriculture and Action-Oriented Science” in D. Maier, J. Donahuser, & M. Weber (eds.), Disruptive Innovations and the Environmental Crisis: Ethical, Practical, and Sociopolitical Concerns. Routledge Press, pp. 144–165.

Shaw, J. 2024. “The Impact of Science Funding Policy on Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, in K. B. Wray (ed.). Structure of Scientific Revolutions at 60. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 37-52.

Desjardins, E., Shaw, J., Barker, G., Bzovy, J. 2019. “Geofunctions, Pluralism, and Environmental Management”, in T. DesRoches, B. Williston, & F. Jankunis (eds.) From the North of 49: New Perspectives in Canadian Environmental Philosophy. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, pp. 234-264.

Popular Articles

Shaw, J. 2025. “The High Priests of Science are Holding it Hostage.” IAI News. https://iai.tv/articles/the-high-priests-of-science-are-holding-it-hostage-auid-3250?_auid=2020

People Directory Affiliation Category

Research Fellows, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Visiting Scholars

Faculty

Arts & Science

Department

Philosophy

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Curriculum Vitae

Kerah Gordon-Solmon Publishes Open-Access papers in Analysis and Ergo

rm190 — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:19:11 +0000

Kerah Gordon-Solmon Publishes Open-Access papers in Analysis and Ergo rm190 Tue, 06/23/2026 - 08:19

PHIL 873 Topics in Philosophy of Logic

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:02:01 +0000

PHIL 873 Topics in Philosophy of Logic rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 13:02

PHIL873

3 Units

In-person

Cross listed with PHIL 473

N/A

Seminars

TBA

Instructor: Adele Mercier

It covers extensions of classical logic: the logic of modalities (or what we mean by would-have, could-have, and should-have statements). It introduces students to possible worlds reasoning: thinking about the actual (eg I exist), the merely possible (eg I could have never existed), and the necessary (eg. I have the biological parents I have). These modalities have epistemic (eg. Knowledge implies belief), moral (eg. Obligation implies permission), temporal (eg. when do statements about the future become true?) and other interpretations which we survey. Then the course introduces students to non-classical logics (reasonings requiring more than the true and the false): tri-valued logics (reasoning about the indeterminate), intuitionistic logics (reasoning about the unknown), multi-valued logics (reasoning about the more-or-less true), up to para-consistent logics (reasoning from contradictions).

Assessments

weekly exercises; a midterm; a final exam.

Fall

Graduate Level Course

PHIL 473 Topics in Philosophy of Logic

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:59:33 +0000

PHIL 473 Topics in Philosophy of Logic rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:59

PHIL473

3 Units

In-person

PHIL 362

Cross listed with PHIL 873

N/A

Seminars

TBA

Instructor: Adele Mercier

This course is a sequel to PHIL 362. It covers extensions of classical logic: the logic of modalities (or what we mean by would-have, could-have, and should-have statements). It introduces students to possible worlds reasoning: thinking about the actual (eg I exist), the merely possible (eg I could have never existed), and the necessary (eg. I have the biological parents I have). These modalities have epistemic (eg. Knowledge implies belief), moral (eg. Obligation implies permission), temporal (eg. when do statements about the future become true?) and other interpretations which we survey. Then the course introduces students to non-classical logics (reasonings requiring more than the true and the false): tri-valued logics (reasoning about the indeterminate), intuitionistic logics (reasoning about the unknown), multi-valued logics (reasoning about the more-or-less true), up to para-consistent logics (reasoning from contradictions).

Assessments

weekly exercises; a midterm; a final exam.

Fall

400 Level Course

PHIL 990 Pro Seminar

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:38:05 +0000

PHIL 990 Pro Seminar rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:38

PHIL990

3 Units

In-person

AI/Technology Policy:

Use of electronic devices in class is: Forbidden (except for QSAS-mandated disability accommodation)
Use of AI (generative, agential, etc.) for work for this course is: Forbidden

Course technology policy statement: Electronic devices are prohibited in the classroom and during assignments (except as QSAS-mandated disability accommodation).

N/A

Seminars will take place bi-weekly

Instructor: Meena Krishnamurthy

This course is designed to prepare incoming graduate students for success in the program and to help students begin the process of professionalization.

Assessments

TBA

Fall

Graduate Level Course

PHIL 845 Major Figures I

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:10:58 +0000

PHIL 845 Major Figures I rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:10

PHIL845001

3 Units

In-person

AI/Technology Policy:

Use of electronic devices in class is: Forbidden (except for QSAS-mandated disability accommodation)
Use of AI (generative, agential, etc.) for work for this course is: Forbidden

Course technology policy statement: All submitted work must be original to the student and written in the student's own words. If AI is used in brainstorming, it must not be used to compose any part of the assignments. This is a seminar class, so participation is a large component of the grade. Hence, electronic devices are not to be used in class (except for QSAS-mandated disability accommodation).

Cross listed with PHIL 445

N/A

Seminars

TBA

Instructor: Josh Mozersky

Topic: Analytic Philosophy: Its Origin, Scope, and Prospects

In the West, the dominant philosophical outlook of the 19th Century was Idealism, the view that everything is, ultimately, mental, or, on some versions, that only the contents of our own minds are knowable. The early part of the 20th Century witnessed the birth of a new approach, eventually called Analytic Philosophy, that was, in large part, the rejection of the idealism of the previous era. The turn away from idealism was accompanied, and encouraged, by two early 20th Century revolutions. The first was the rise of modern physics, with the introduction of Relativity Theory and Quantum Mechanics. The second was the birth of modern mathematical logic. Both were important to the early analytic philosophers, but it is the latter that was especially influential because the pioneers of the analytic movement, such as Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, took great inspiration from the works of the mathematician Gottlob Frege, whose works sit at the foundations of modern logic, computer science, and Analytic Philosophy.

This course is an in-depth study of analytic philosophy’s birth, development, and influence on 20th Century thought. We begin with a brief overview of 19th Century views on the nature of mathematics and mathematical knowledge. We then turn to the pivotal works of Frege on the foundations of arithmetic, and its extensions to his theories of meaning and thought. Next, we take a look at the ideas of Russell and Wittgenstein that took off from Frege’s works. We end with an examination of some of the most influential analytic works from the middle and later 20th Century, with an eye toward understanding the strengths, limits, and prospects of the movement.

Assessments

TBA

Winter

Graduate Level Course

PHIL 840 Critical Phenomenology

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:03:37 +0000

PHIL 840 Critical Phenomenology rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:03

PHIL840

3 Units

In-person

Cross Listed with PHIL 440

N/A

Seminars

Instructor: Lisa Guenther

Phenomenology is a philosophical practice of reflecting on the transcendental structures that make lived experience possible and meaningful. It begins by bracketing the natural attitude, or the everyday, common-sense assumption that the world exists apart from consciousness, and tracing our experience of this world back to the relational structures that constitute its meaning and coherence. In this sense, phenomenological method already points us in a critical direction; it interrupts our default experience of the world and challenges us to deepen our understanding of how this experience unfolds. But where classical phenomenology remains insufficiently critical is in failing to give an equally rigorous account of how contingent historical and social structures also shape our experience, not just empirically or in a piecemeal fashion, but in a way that is so fundamental, we could call it quasi-transcendental. Structures such as patriarchy, white supremacy, and heteronormativity permeate, organize, and reproduce the natural attitude in ways that go beyond any particular object of thought. They are not things to be seen, but rather ways of seeing, and even ways of making the world that go unnoticed without a sustained practice of critical reflection to make them visible. In this seminar, we will learn the basic concepts of classical phenomenology with a focus on Merleau-Ponty, and we will explore the possibilities for critical phenomenology in the work of Iris Marion Young, Frantz Fanon, Maria Lugones, Sara Ahmed, and others.

Assessments

TBA

Winter

Graduate Level Course

PHIL 440 Critical Phenomenology

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:59:59 +0000

PHIL 440 Critical Phenomenology rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:59

PHIL440

3 Units

In-person

Level 4 or above and [PHIL 250/6.0 or {PHIL 251/3.0 and PHIL 252/3.0}] and [{PHIL 242/3.0 and PHIL 243/3.0} or PHIL 257/6.0]) and ([a minimum CGPA of 2.40] or [a minimum GPA of 2.70 in all 300-level PHIL]) and (9.0 units of PHIL at the 300-level) and (registration in a PHIL Plan).

Cross Listed with PHIL 840

N/A

Seminars

Instructor: Lisa Guenther

Assessments

TBA

Winter

400 Level Course

PHIL 352 Metaphysics

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:40:19 +0000

PHIL 352 Metaphysics rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:40

PHIL352

3 Units

In-person

PHIL 250/6.0 or PHIL 251/3.0 or PHIL 252/3.0 or permission of the Department

None

N/A

Seminars

Available via OnQ website

Instructor: Mark Smith

The special focus of this term’s material will be on the metaphysics of the human person. Does the concept “person” pick out a natural kind having a distinctive essence? Or does it just pick out a specific sort of animal? Is there such a thing as the self, which accounts for enduring personal identity, or is the self an illusion? Is there such a phenomenon as free will, or is that perhaps an illusion also? These and other metaphysical questions that have specifically to do with human life and our self-conception will be broached, largely through contemporary work in metaphysics. Among others, we will read work by Sally Haslanger, Christine Korsgaard, Paul Snowdon, Galen Strawson, and Harry Frankfurt.

Assessments

Combination of short argument analyses, 1 midterm paper, 1 final paper

Winter

300 Level Course

PHIL 329 Early Modern Philosophy

rm190 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:33:52 +0000

PHIL 329 Early Modern Philosophy rm190 Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:33

PHIL329

3 Units

In-person

Prerequisite PHIL 242/3.0 or PHIL 243/3.0 or PHIL 250/6.0 or PHIL 251/3.0 or PHIL 252/3.0 or PHIL 257/6.0 or (registration in a CLST Major or Joint Honours Plan and 6.0 units of PHIL) or permission of the Department.

None.

N/A

Lectures

Instructor: Jon Miller

Enough time has passed that we can be confident of the status of the major philosophers of the seventeenth century. Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke and others created philosophical systems that seem almost super-human in their ambition and complexity. They can be and are studied with enormous profit by those who are willing to put in the effort.

In this course, we will focus on Spinoza and Leibniz. While their peers were also ambitious, Spinoza and Leibniz come across as breathtakingly bold. They believed that they had divined the mysteries of the universe and ourselves. They presented their visions forthrightly and they advanced powerful arguments in support of their understanding of how things are.

Though Spinoza and Leibniz were deep and original thinkers, they did not philosophize in a vacuum. They owed much to other thinkers, both in their day and those from more distant past. Before we get to Spinoza and Leibniz, we will devote some time considering the problems and ideas bequeathed by their predecessors to Spinoza and Leibniz. In particular, we shall see how Descartes was instrumental in erecting the metaphysical and epistemological frameworks within which Spinoza and Leibniz operated. In addition, it is important not to lose sight of how Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and others in the seventeenth century were addressing questions of perennial interest. We shall begin our course by posing such questions.

Once we are finished with those matters, we shall advance to Spinoza and Leibniz. We will spend roughly five weeks on each philosopher. In the case of Spinoza, we will read passages of his magnum opus, The Ethics. Since Leibniz did not have a magnum opus, we will have to look at a variety of his writings.

By the time the course ends, students who have engaged with the material will have an appreciation of the genius of Spinoza and Leibniz. They will also improve their ability to interpret difficult texts and complicated ideas. Most importantly, they will be in a better position to develop their own thoughts about the philosophical issues that they have encountered.

Assessments

TBA

Winter

300 Level Course