Dr Simon Hewitt
- Position: Associate Professor
- Areas of expertise: Logic; Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of Religion; Philosophy of Language
- Email: S.Hewitt@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: 1.05 Botany House
- Website: Website
Profile
I am an analytic philosopher, working in both the philosophy of logic and mathematics, and in the philosophy of religion.
I have worked on plural logics, discussing the interaction of plurals with modals and the possibility of developing a plural logic which encodes ordering on pluralities. My main interest in this area at the moment is the potential for a version of neo-Fregeanism which makes use of plural logic. To this end I am working on a book Plural Foundations.
In philosophy of religion, I am known for endorsing the view that there is a significant sense in which God transcends our cognitive and linguistic resources. I defend this at length in my book Negative Theology and Philosophical Analysis. I develop this view in conversation with the work of Herbert McCabe, about which I am an expert.
I am enthusiastic about supervising PhD students in any of my areas of interest,
Responsibilities
- Director of PoRT centre
- Programme Manager - MA PRE
- UCU rep for School of PRHS
Research interests
I have three main areas of research at the moment (and am keen to work with PhD students on all of them):
Plural Logic: I am interested in how plural logic in the tradition of George Boolos can be of use in the foundations of mathematics, with a focus on formal arithmetics and set theory. I also have ongoing research on the interaction between plurals and modals.
Philosophy of Mathematics: Here I am concerned with neo-Fregeanism, in particular its semantic and metaphysical underpinnings. Related to my interest in plural logic is a current project on how a satisfactory neo-Fregean account of arithmetic might be developed within the framework of a plural logic.
Theology's Critics: I engage with thinkers critical of theology - especially Feuerbach, Marx and Freud - in order to make progress in the philosophy of religion, in particular to motivate a renewed apophaticism through dispensing with anthropomorphic conceptions of God.
For more details of my work, see my website.
Qualifications
- PhD (London), MA (London), MA (Oxford), BSc(Hons) (Brunel)
Professional memberships
- Association for Symbolic Logic
- British Logic Colloquium
- British Society for Philosophy of Religion
Student education
I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Philosophy of Religion and Theology