Editing David Albert

{{Short description|American academic}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = David Z. Albert
| image             = David Albert.jpg
| image_size        = 
| image_upright     = 
| alt               = 
| caption           = David Albert
| birth_date        = {{birth year and age|1954}}<!--{{birth date |YYYY|MM|DD}}-->
| birth_place       = 
| death_date        = <!--{{death date and age |YYYY|MM|DD |YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date)-->
| death_place       = 
| nationality       = [[United States|American]]
| fields            = [[Philosophy of physics]]
| workplaces        = [[Columbia University]]
| alma_mater        = [[Columbia University]]<br>[[The Rockefeller University]]
| thesis_title      = Determination of the critical exponents of the n-vector model by Borel resummation<!--(or  | thesis1_title =  and  | thesis2_title = )-->
| thesis_url        = https://rockefeller-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/ji7ros/01RU_ALMA2121717170004157
| thesis_year       = 1981
| doctoral_advisor  = Nicola Khuri
| doctoral_students = 
| known_for         = [[Past hypothesis]] 
| awards            = 
}}

'''David Z. Albert''' (born 1954) is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the MA Program in The [[Philosophy of physics|Philosophical Foundations of Physics]] at [[Columbia University]] in New York.

==Education and career==

He received his bachelor's degree in physics from [[Columbia College of Columbia University|Columbia College]] (1976) and his [[PhD]] in theoretical physics from [[The Rockefeller University]] (1981) under Professor Nicola Khuri.<ref>Doctoral thesis: {{cite journal | last=Albert | first=David Z. | title=Behavior of the Borel resummations for the critical exponents of the n-vector model | journal=Physical Review B | publisher=American Physical Society (APS) | volume=25 | issue=7 | date=1982-04-01 | issn=0163-1829 | doi=10.1103/physrevb.25.4810 | pages=4810–4814}}</ref> Afterwards he worked with [[Yakir Aharonov]] of [[Tel Aviv University]].  He has spent most of his career in the [[philosophy]] department at [[Columbia University]], although he has also been a frequent visiting professor of philosophy at [[Rutgers University]].   In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts & Sciences]].

==Philosophical work==

Albert has published four books—''Quantum Mechanics and Experience'' (1992),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?BookId=8035|title = Quantum Mechanics and Experience}}</ref> ''Time and Chance'' (2000),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bibliovault.org/BV.book.epl?BookId=6581|title = Time and Chance}}</ref> ''After Physics'' (2015),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674970878|title = After Physics}}</ref> and ''A Guess at the Riddle'' (2023)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674291263&content=bios|title = A Guess at the Riddle: Essays on the Physical Underpinnings of Quantum Mechanics }}</ref>—as well as numerous articles on [[quantum mechanics]]. His books have been both praised and criticized for their informal, conversational style.

==Public philosophy==

===Appearance in ''What the Bleep Do We Know!?''===
Albert appeared in the controversial movie ''[[What the Bleep Do We Know!?]]'' (2004). According to an article published in ''[[Popular Science]]'', he was "outraged at the final product."<ref>[http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-10/cult-science Cult Science - Dressing up mysticism as quantum physics], [[Popular Science]], Oct. 19, 2004</ref>  The article states that Albert granted the filmmakers a near-four hour interview about quantum mechanics being unrelated to consciousness or spirituality. His interview was then edited and incorporated into the film in a way that misrepresented his views. In the article, Albert also expresses his feelings of gullibility after having been "taken" by the filmmakers. Although Albert is listed as a scientist taking part in the sequel to ''What the Bleep'', called "Down the Rabbit Hole",<ref>[http://www.whatthebleep.com/scientists/drh-scientists.shtml WHAT THE BLEEP!? - DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821203231/http://www.whatthebleep.com/scientists/drh-scientists.shtml |date=2006-08-21 }}</ref> this sequel is a "director's cut", composed of extra footage from the filming of the first movie.

===Feud with Lawrence Krauss===
In March 2012, Albert published an extremely negative review of [[Lawrence Krauss]]' book ''[[A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing]]'' in ''[[The New York Times]]'' book review.<ref name="Albert-NYT">{{cite news |last1=Albert |first1=David |title=On the Origin of Everything |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/books/review/a-universe-from-nothing-by-lawrence-m-krauss.html?_r=4 |work=The New York Times |date=23 March 2012}}</ref> Krauss claimed that his book counters religion and philosophy, and the book was cited by [[Richard Dawkins]] as comparable to [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]]’s ''[[Origin of Species]]'', on the grounds that it upends the “last trump card of the theologian.” In his review, Albert lamented the way in which books like Krauss' forward critiques of religion that are "pale, small, silly, nerdy”, and expresses how "the whole business of approaching the struggle with religion as if it were a card game, or a horse race, or some kind of battle of wits, just feels all wrong".<ref name="Albert-NYT"/>  Disagreeing with the central thesis of Krauss' book, Albert wrote:
{{blockquote|The particular, eternally persisting, elementary physical stuff of the world, according to the standard presentations of [[relativistic quantum field theories]], consists (unsurprisingly) of relativistic quantum fields... they have nothing whatsoever to say on the subject of where those fields came from, or of why the world should have consisted of the particular kinds of fields it does, or of why it should have consisted of fields at all, or of why there should have been a world in the first place. Period. Case closed. End of story.}}

Krauss reacted vehemently and responded in an interview published in ''[[The Atlantic]]'', calling  Albert “moronic” and dismissing the philosophy of science as worthless.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Andersen |first1=Ross |last2=Krauss |first2=Lawrence |title=Has Physics Made Philosophy and Religion Obsolete? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/has-physics-made-philosophy-and-religion-obsolete/256203/ |publisher=The Atlantic |date=23 April 2012}}</ref> In March 2013, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Albert, who had previously been invited to speak at the [[Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate]] at the [[American Museum of Natural History]], at which Krauss was also an invited speaker, was later disinvited.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schuessler |first1=Jennifer |title=Worlds in Collision: After Tangle Over Physicist's Book, Philosopher's Invitation to a Debate Is Withdrawn |url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/worlds-in-collision-after-tangle-over-physicists-book-philosophers-invitation-to-a-debate-is-withdrawn/ |publisher=The New York Times, ArtsBeat |date=13 March 2013}}</ref> Albert claimed "It sparked a suspicion that Krauss must have demanded that I not be invited. But of course I’ve got no proof."
==See also==
* [[Past hypothesis]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{Commons category|David Albert}}
* [https://philosophy.columbia.edu/content/david-z-albert David Albert faculty page]
* [https://bigthink.com/videos/big-think-interview-with-david-albert David Albert Interview at BigThink.com]. Discussing the measurement problem in quantum mechanics theory (53 minutes).
* [http://bloggingheads.tv/?s=david+albert Video discussions] with [[Sean M. Carroll|Sean Carroll]] about science related topics on [[Bloggingheads.tv]]

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:Columbia University faculty]]
[[Category:Rockefeller University alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American philosophers]]
[[Category:Philosophers of physics]]
[[Category:Philosophers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Columbia College (New York) alumni]]