Samuel C. Fletcher

Samuel C. Fletcher is the Professor of the Philosophy of Physics at the University of Oxford's Faculty of Philosophy and a Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Merton College. He previously held an Associate Professorship at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where he remains affiliated with the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science (MCPS). His research focuses on the foundations of physics, statistics, and computation, including topics like quantum indeterminacy, relativity theory, and the philosophy of scientific methodology.
He is the Principal Investigator of the project A Modern Philosophy for Classical Statistical Testing and Estimation (2021–2026). His academic roles also include an External Membership at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy.
Fletcher’s work bridges formal methods and conceptual analysis, addressing issues such as intertheoretic reduction, emergence, and the epistemology of replication in scientific practice.

Education: PhD in Logic and Philosophy of Science from the University of California, Irvine (2014).
Future Role: Starting September 2024, he will assume his Oxford roles while retaining his MCPS affiliation.

Key Research Themes:

• Philosophy of Physics (Quantum Mechanics, Relativity)
• Foundations of Statistics and Scientific Methodology
• Computation and its Physical Interpretations
• Historical and Metaphilosophical Perspectives in Science

Notable Contributions:

• Edited Physical Perspectives on Computation, Computational Perspectives on Physics (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
• Developed frameworks for metaphysical indeterminacy in quantum systems.
• Advocated for the role of meta-analysis in addressing replication crises in science.

Awards & Affiliations: External Member of the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy; affiliated with the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science.