Dr William Simpson
Research Fellow, Member Aquinas Institute
He holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Cambridge (2020), and a doctorate in physics from the University of St Andrews (2014). His research lies at the intersection of physics and philosophy, overspilling into the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of religion.
[*These are honorary/non-stipendiary appointments.]
International Prizes
- In 2021, he was awarded the Cardinal Mercier Prize in Philosophy, jointly awarded by The Institut Supérieur de Philosophie (ISP) of UCLouvain and the Hoger Instituut Voor Wijsbegeerte (HIW) of KU Leuven.
- In 2020, he received an international Expanded Reason Award for his work on hylomorphism and the metaphysics of quantum mechanics, jointly awarded by Universidad Francisco de Vitoria and Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation.
select publications
The Limits of Quantum Physics and the Emergence of Complexity, co-authored with George F. R. Ellis (under contract with Cambridge University Press).
“Prime Matter Revisited” in Thomism Revisited, G. Kerr (Ed.), Cambridge University Press, forthcoming.
“Cosmopsychism and the Laws of Physics”, The Journal of Consciousness, forthcoming.
“Why Middle-Sized Matters: Quantum Realism, Minds, and the Problem of Macro-Objects”?Journal of Physics: Conference Series, HAPP 10th Anniversary Volume, forthcoming.
“Small Worlds with Cosmic Powers”, The Journal of Philosophy, 120(8), 2023, forthcoming.
Special issue of Dialogoi: Ancient Philosophy Today on “Prime Matter and Modern Physics”, with “Editor’s introduction”, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2024.
“Whose Hylomorphism? Which Theory of Prime Matter?” with M. Mosko, Ancient Philosophy Today: Dialogoi, 6(1), 2024.
Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Theology of Nature, Routledge, 2021, co-edited with R.C. Koons and J. Orr.
For more information, including an up-to-date and complete list of publications, visit Dr Simpson’s Academia page or his personal website.