Papers

Articles

Tal, E. (forthcoming), “Models and Measurement”, The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Scientific Modeling.

Tal, E., (2023) "Target specification bias, counterfactual prediction, and algorithmic fairness in healthcare", AIES '23: Proceedings of the 2023 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, pp. 312–321. (published version or preprint)

Tal, E. (2021), “Two Myths of Representational Measurement”, Perspectives on Science 29 (6), pp. 701-741. (on publisher site or on Project Muse)

Tal, E. (2020) “Measurement in Science”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2015 entry with substantive revisions (open access).

Tal, E. (2019), “Individuating Quantities”, Philosophical Studies 176 (4), pp. 853-878. (online access or view-only)

Tal, E. (2018) “Naturalness and Convention in the International System of Units”, Measurement 116, pp. 631-643. (online access

Tal, E. (2017) “Calibration: Modelling the Measurement Process”, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 65-66, pp. 33-45. (online access)

Mitchell, D., Tal, E. and Chang, H. (2017) "The Making of Measurement: Editors' Introduction", Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 65-66, pp. 1-7. (online access)

Tal, E. (2017) "A Model-Based Epistemology of Measurement”, in Mößner, N. and Nordmann, A. (eds.), Reasoning in Measurement, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 233-253. (purchase book or free preprint)

Tal, E. (2016)  "How Does Measuring Generate Evidence? The Problem of Observational Grounding”,  Journal of Physics: Conference Series 772, 012001. (open access)

Tal, E. (2016) “Making Time: A Study in the Epistemology of Measurement”, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 67, pp. 297-335. (Online access).

Tal, E. (2013) “Old and New Problems in Philosophy of Measurement”, Philosophy Compass 8 (12), pp. 1159–1173. (Online access)

Tal, E. (2011) "How Accurate is the Standard Second?" Philosophy of Science 78 (5), pp. 1082-1096. (Online Access)

Tal, E. (2011) “From Data to Phenomena and Back Again: Computer-Simulated Signatures”, Synthese 182 (1), pp. 117-129. (Online Access)

Special issue

Chang, H., Mitchell, D. and Tal, E. (eds.) (2017) "The Making of Measurement", special issue of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 65-66, pp. 1-132. (online access)

Book Reviews

Tal, E. (2014) Review of “Simulation and Similarity: Using Models to Understand the World” by Michael Weisberg (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. (PDF)

Tal, E. (2006) Review of “Just a Theory: Exploring the Nature of Science” by Moti Ben-Ari (Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2005), History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 472-3. (PDF)

PhD Dissertation

Tal, E. (2012) "The Epistemology of Measurement: A Model-Based Account", PhD dissertation, University of Toronto (open access)

Recent Talks

“Who Needs Magnitudes?”, Colloquium in Logic and Philosophy of Science, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, January 2023.

“Who Needs Magnitudes?”, Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh, November 2022.

(with Sebastian Rodriquez Duque) "Fitness for Purpose in Psychometrics", Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh, November 2022.

(with Sebastian Rodriquez Duque) "Fitness for Purpose in Psychometrics", Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, Ghent University, July 2022 

(with Sebastian Rodriquez Duque) "Fitness for Purpose in Psychometrics", Epistemology of Psychological Measurement workshop, LMU Munich, June 2022.

“Who Needs Magnitudes?”, Measurement at the Crossroads, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, June 2022.

(with Sebastian Rodriquez Duque and Skye Barbic) “Philosophy of Measurement in the Clinic: A Normative Framework for Measuring Mental Health”, Measurement at the Crossroads, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, June 2022.

"Target specification bias in healthcare applications of machine learning",  Data Ethics Conversation Series, University of Oregon, May 2022.

"Measurement Outcomes as Best Predictors",  Philosophy Department Colloquium Series, Simon Fraser University, March 2022

"Measurement Outcomes as Best Predictors", Center for Philosophy of Science Annual Lecture Series, University of Pittsburgh,  February 2022.

(with Sebastian Duque) "Responsible Mental Health Measures that are Valid and Fit for their Purpose", Bordeaux-Berlin joint seminar series on Translating Validity in Psychiatric Research, January 2022 .

"Measurement Uncertainty and Model-Based Inference” , keynote lecture at Philosophy of Scientific Experimentation 6 (PSX6), Saint Louis University, October 2021

“Accuracy and Fairness in Machine Learning: Lessons from Measurement”, Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI) Seminar Series, University of Guelph, September 2021

(with Skye Barbic et al.) "How to Measure Youth Mental Health Responsibly", Workshop on Ethical, Epistemological, and Historical Perspectives on Public Health and Wellness, University of Indiana at Bloomington, May 2021.

"Individuating Quantities", Vienna Colloquium in Analytic Philosophy, University of Vienna, April 2021.

"Fairness, Machine Learning, and Responsible Measurement", The Ethics of Big Data, Workshop of the Southern Journal of Philosophy, University of Memphis, April 2021.

"Responsible measurement and the ethics of big data", Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST), Université du Québec à MontréalFebruary 2021.

"Fairness in Machine Learning: A Measurement Theory Perspective", 17th Annual Information Ethics Roundtable: Justice and Fairness in Data Use and Machine Learning, Northeastern University, April 2019.

"Individuating Quantities", Unification and Measurement workshop, University of Montreal, April 2019.

"Individuating Quantities", Research Seminar at the Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, March 2019.

"Measurement, Prediction and Coherence", Graduate Research Weekend, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, March 2019.

"Economies of Uncertainty: Philosophical Lessons from the 2018 Metric Reform", as part of a symposium titled "Redefining Units: Reflections on the 2018 Reform of the Metric System", Philosophy of Science Association, Seattle, November 2018

"Measuring Patient-Reported Outcomes: Quantification, Validity, and Fitness-for-Purpose", Keynote lecture at Language and Health – Ethical and Policy Issues, Annual conference of the Health Care Access for Linguistic Minorities Network, McGill University, September 2018.

"Measurement, Prediction and Coherence", Measurement and Theory Construction workshop, Département de philosophie, Université de Montréal, May 2018; Keynote lecture at Measurement at the Crossroads, Université Paris Diderot, June 2018

"The Myth of Additivity in Physics and Psychometrics", 45th Annual Philosophy of Science Conference, Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, April 2018; Measurement in the Science of Consciousness, Université Paris-Sorbonne, June 2018.

"Economies of Uncertainty: Philosophical Lessons from the 2018 Metric Reform", as part of an invited symposium titled "How Heavy is the Standard Kilogram?", Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association, San Diego, March 2018. 

"Validating Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Beyond Physics-Envy", Evidence to Policy Seminar Series, Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, November 2017.

"Measurement, Computer Simulation .and Observational Grounding", Keynote lecture, McGill Philosophy Retreat, September 22, 2017; Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire (SPHERE) seminar, Université Paris Diderot, June 13, 2017; Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, Ryerson University (Toronto), May 2017.

"What are Measurands? Operational versus Informational Conceptions", Workshop on Physical Quantities and Measurands, Université Paris Diderot, June 12, 2017.

“Weighing the Kilogram: How History and Philosophy of Science Inform Each Other”, Department of Philosophy, McGill University, September 2016.

"How Does Measuring Generate Evidence? The Problem of Observational Grounding", keynote lecture at the Joint Symposium of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO TC1-TC7-TC13), University of California Berkeley, August 3rd 2016.

"Naturalness and Convention in the 'New SI'", Colloquium of the Division of Temperature and Synchrotron Radiation, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Berlin, May 2nd 2016.

"Measurement without Foundations", Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol, March 18th 2016.

"How Heavy is a Kilogram?", Marie Curie Ambassador event, Cambridge Festival of Ideas, October 25th 2015.

"The Shifting Economies of Measurement Uncertainty", Departmental Seminar, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, February 26, 2015; British Society for the Philosophy of Science lecture, London School of Economics, November 23rd 2015; Science Studies Colloquium, Department of Philosophy, Bielefeld University, May 3rd 2016.

"Making Measurement Data into Evidence", What is Data-Intensive Science?, Exeter, December 18, 2014.

"Making Time: A Study in the Epistemology of Measurement", Philosophy of Science Seminar, University of Edinburgh, January 15, 2015; Sigma Club, London School of Economics, March 7th 2016.

"Measurement, Models and Coherence”, paper presented as part of a symposium titled 'Measuring What?' at the Philosophy of Science Association meeting in Chicago, November 2014.

“Enhancing Knowledge, Affording Ignorance”, What Affordance Affords, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 25-27 November 2013.

“Why Philosophers Care about Metrology”, Ion Storage Group Lunch Talk, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, November 2013.

"Computational Models as Measurement Tools", Historical Perspectives on Mathematics as a Tool, Bielefeld University, November 2013.

"Measurement Uncertainty and Modeling Uncertainty: Towards a Unified Account", Measurement in Economics, Rovaniemi, Finland, December 2012; Technische Universität Darmstadt, May 6th 2013; Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, University of Toronto, June 2013; Measurement Across the Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, November 2013.

“A Model-Based Epistemology of Measurement” (keynote lecture), Dimensions of Measurement, Bielefeld University, March 2013; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, June 12th 2013

“Comparing Uncertainties: A Cross-Disciplinary Challenge”, First International Conference of the German Society for Philosophy of Science, Leibniz University Hannover, March 2013

"Measurement Error and the Problem of Quantity Individuation", Error in the Sciences, Leiden, October 2011; Institute of Philosophy, University of Hannover, January 2013; CamPoS seminar series, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, February 2016.

"What Measurement Uncertainties Represent", Workshop on Uncertainty in Metrology, University Paris Diderot, December 2012.

“Calibration, Modeling and the International System of Units”, Fourteenth Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, Nancy, July 2011.

"Standardization as Applied Research: Explaining the Stability of Universal Coordinated Time”, Research in its Technological Setting, Center for Interdisciplinary Research at Bielefeld University, June 2011.

"The Epistemology of Calibration: Modeling and Simulation in Contemporary Physical Measurement", University of Pittsburgh, April 2011.

"Scientific Imaging Between Simulation and Measurement", Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto, January 2011.

"How Accurate is the Standard Second?", Philosophy of Science Association, Montreal, Quebec, November 2010.

“Measurement and Robustness”, Tilburg Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science, Research Seminar in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, February 2010; Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, Concordia University, May 2010.

“A Dilemma for the Epistemology of Simulation”, as part of a symposium I organized on Computer Simulations as Measuring Instruments at the European Philosophy of Science Association, October 2009; also presented at the 36th Annual Philosophy of Science Conference, Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, April 2009; Models and Simulations 4, University of Toronto, May 2010.

“The Science of Measurement: Towards an Epistemology of Metrology”, Sydney-Tilburg conference on The Future of Philosophy of Science, Tilburg University, April 2010.

“Affording Ignorance: The Epistemic Economy of Simulations and Thought Experiments”, International Workshop on Thought Experiments and Computer Simulations, IHPST, Paris, March 2010.

“Making Time: Stability and Contingency in the Maintenance of the Standard Second”, Science as it Could Have Been: Reflections on the Contingent and Inevitable Aspects of Science, Fondation des Treilles, France, September 2009.

“Accuracy, Standardization and the Philosophy of Science”, Ion Storage Group Talk, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Time and Frequency Division, Boulder, Colorado, August 2009.

“Computer Simulations, Discordant Evidence and the Quest for the Heavy Neutrino”, Canadian Philosophical Association, May 2009.

“Simulation, Measurement and Accuracy”, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, May 2009.

“Computer Simulations as Evidential Tools: Calibration and Epistemic Power”, Models and Simulations 3, University of Virginia, March 2009.

“Calibration as Simulation”, Boulder Conference in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, October 2008.

“From Data to Phenomena and Back Again: Signatures of a Quantum Phase Transition”, Data, Phenomena, Theories, University of Heidelberg, September 2008.

“Is Beauty an End of Nature? Revisiting Kant’s Subjective Purposiveness”, Canadian Philosophical Association, June 2008.

“Simulated Evidence”, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, June 2008.

“Do Scientific Instruments Have Objective Functions?”, The Future of Objectivity, Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto, May 2008.

“Convention and Constraint: The Cross-Cultural Sharing of Scientific Instruments”, The Exeter Methodology Workshop in the Sociology and Philosophy of Science, University of Exeter, November 2007.

“Kant and the Problem of Continuous Space-Perception”, Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, May 2007.