Position
Rawad El Skaf
Rawad El Skaf
Guests
Institute of Philosophy
Profile
Rawad El Skaf is a philosopher of science. His research interests focus on general topics in the History and Philosophy of Science. More precisely, he researches Surrogative Reasoning and Scientific Tools beyond (direct) laboratory experiments: i.e., Thought Experiments, Computer Simulations, Scientific Models and Analogue Experiments, and their use in several scientific fields, mainly physics and climate science. His recent work focuses on different tools used in climate change research, in particular on socioeconomic scenarios and their use in shaping mitigation policies and on climate analogues for adaptation purposes. Rawad studied in Lebanon and France, he received his PhD in Philosophy at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He has been a visiting fellow at Pittsburgh and Geneva, a Marie Curie Fellow at Salzburg and an Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano.
Main Areas of Research
- General History and Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Scientific Tools
- Philosophy of Climate Change Sciences
- Science and Values
- Surrogative Reasoning
- Science for Policy
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Short CV
Academic Employment
2025
Senior Fellow, SOCRATES Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Hannover, Germany
2022-24
Assistant professor (RTD-A) in Logic and Philosophy of Science, Department of Mathematics, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
2019-22
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow (MSCA-IF), Department of Philosophy (KGW), University of Salzburg, Research Project: “History and Philosophy of Scientific Thought Experiments and Scientific Practices”
2017-19
High-school teacher of philosophy, rectorat de l’Académie de Nice, France
2014-15
Instructor, Lebanese American University, Humanities department
2010
Instructor, Universidad de Chile, Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities
Visiting Appointments
2020-21
Secondment MSCA project, University of Geneva, Switzerland
2018
Visiting Scholar, University of Geneva, Switzerland
2008
Visiting Scholar, University of Pittsburgh, HPS department
Education and Academic Titles
2016
National Academic Qualification (French) in Philosophy (section 17) and Epistemology (section 72)
2015-16
PhD in Philosophy, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne/IHPST
Paris, France, First class honours with highest distinction.
Title: La Structure des Expériences de Pensée Scientifiques
Committee: Anouk Barberousse (co-director), Denis Forest, Jean Mosconi (co-director), John D. Norton, Maximilian Kistler (co-director), Sébastien Gandon2006-11
PhD candidate in Philosophy, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne/IHPST
interrupted for family reasons
2006
MA (DEA) in Philosophy, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, IHPST, Paris, France
2004
MSc (DEA) in Networking and Telecommunication, Institut National Polytechnique, Toulouse, France
2003
MSc (DESS) in Computer Science, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France
2002
BSc in Computer Science, Notre Dame University-NDU, Lebanon
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Publications
Peer-reviewed Articles
Forthcoming “Post-Growth and the Lack of Diversity in the Scenario Framework” (revised and resubmitted) Journal of Economic Methodology 2024 “Tales of twin cities: what are climate analogues good for?” Euro Jnl Phil Sci, 14, 34 (with G. Valente, H. Bobadilla and F. Nappo)
2022 “What Can we Learn (and not Learn) from Thought Experiments in Black Hole Thermodynamics?" Synthese, 200, 434 (with P. Palacios)
2021 “Probing Theoretical Statements with Thought Experiments”, Synthese, 199, 6119–6147
2018 “The function and limit of Galileo’s falling bodies thought experiment: Absolute weight, specific weight and the medium’s resistance”, Croatian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. XVII, No. 52: 37-58
2017 “What notion of possibility should we use in assessing scientific thought experiments?” Lato Sensu, revue de la Société de philosophie des sciences, 4(1): 19-30 (paper won the SPS Young Researcher Prize, 2015-2016)
2013 “Unfolding in the empirical sciences: experiments, thought experiments and computer simulations”, Synthese, 190(16): 3451-3474 (with C. Imbert)
Chapters
2024
El Skaf Rawad, Mike T. Stuart, “Scientific Models and Thought Experiments”. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Scientific Modeling. London, Routledge
Monographs
Forthcoming El Skaf Rawad, under contract with Synthese Library, Philosophy of Climate Change Scenarios and Pathways – Experimenting with Hypothetical Futures 2023 El Skaf Rawad, La Physique dans un fauteuil ? Pouvoir et Limites des Expériences de Pensée, Éditions Matériologiques Journal Special Issues
2024 Editorial: El Skaf, R., Felline, L., Palacios, P., Valente, G., “Surrogative reasoning in the sciences”. Synthese 203 2024 Lead guest editor, co-editor with Laura Felline, Patricia Palacios and Giovanni Valente, "Surrogative Reasoning in the Sciences", Topical Collection of Synthese Book Reviews
2020 El Skaf Rawad, Jimena Canales, Bedeviled: a shadow history of demons in science, Princeton: Princeton University Press. History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 44, 6 -
Talks
2024
“Post-Growth and the Lack of Diversity in the Scenario Framework”, IAMc 17th annual meeting of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium, 4-6 November, Seoul, South Korea, blind selection (accepted, but not attended)
2024
“Experimenting with Hypothetical Futures: Philosophy of Climate Change Scenarios and Pathways”, Luxembourg Thought Experiments & Knowledge Workshop - approaches to explaining the use & function of TEs, Belval, Luxemburg, 5-6 September, invited speaker
2024
“Experimenting with Hypothetical Futures: Philosophy of Climate Change Scenarios and Pathways”, Workshop Scenario Modeling: Epistemology, Practice, and Values, Geneva, Switzerland, 3 September, invited speaker
2024
“Climate Change Socioeconomic Scenarios: How Thought Experiments, Computational Models and Controlled Experiments Meet”, mrc2024 : Models, Representation, and Computation Conference, 12-14 June 2024, Paris, France, blind selection
2024
“Climate Change Scenario Framework: How Thought Experiments, Computational Models and Controlled Experiments Meet”, Parma, Italy 07 May, invited speaker
2023
“An Epistemology of the Scenario Framework”, IAMc 16th annual meeting of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium, 14-16 November, Venice, Italy, blind selection (poster)
2023
“Climate Science’s Scenario Framework”, EPSA 9th biennial meeting of the European Philosophy of Science Association, 20-23 September, Belgrade, Serbia, blind selection (poster)
2023
“Climate Science’s Scenario Framework”, 17th International Congress on Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology, CLMPST, 24-29 July, Buenos Aires, Argentina, blind selection
2023
“Climate Science Narratives: Scenarios, Pathways and Storylines. Some Open Questions and a Promising (Thought Experimental) Avenue?”, Model-Based Reasoning 9th international conference, 7-9 June, Rome, Italy, blind selection
2023
“What can we learn (and not learn) from thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics?”, Séminaire d'Histoire et de Philosophie de la Physique 2022-2023, 10 May, Paris, France, invited speaker
2023
“What can we learn (and not learn) from thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics? On the use of historical and current case studies in &HPS”, Integrated HPS 9th Conference (&HPS9), 16-18 March, South Carolina, USA, blind selection
2022
“What can we learn (and not learn) from thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics?”, Theoretical Virtues and Non-Empirical Guides in Scientific Theory Development Conference, 23-24 November, Aarhus, Denmark, blind selection
2022
“What can we learn (and not learn) from thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics?”, From Models to Decisions Workshop, 13-17 July, Castelveccana, Italy, invited speaker
2022
“What can we learn (and not learn) from thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics?”, British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS) annual conference, 6-8 July, Exeter, UK, blind selection
2022
“Probing theoretical statements with thought experiments”, Polimi Meta lecture, 02 May, invited speaker
2021
“Getting off the armchair: The crucial role of thought experiments in black hole thermodynamics”, with P. Palacios, Foundations of Physics, Paris, 28-30 October, blind selection
2021
“Probing Theoretical Statement with Thought Experiments”, Austro-Belgian meetings in philosophy of physics and science, Salzburg and Louvain, online meeting, 28 March, invited speaker
2020
“Probing Theoretical Statement with Thought Experiments”, Scientific and Epistemic Tools workshop, Salzburg, 6-7 March, invited speaker
2020
"Thought Experiments in Science: An Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account.", WIP Salzburg, 13 January, invited speaker
2019
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, Fiction and Imagination conference, Torino, Italy, 17-18 June, blind selection
2019
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, Fiction, Understanding, and Thought Experiments workshop, Institut Jean Nicod (ENS) Paris, France, 22-23 February, invited speaker
2018
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology 18 (MBR18) Conference, Seville, Spain, 24-26 Oct, blind selection (could not attend)
2018
“The function and limit of Galileo’s falling bodies thought experiment: Absolute weight, specific weight and the medium’s resistance”, Integrated History and Philosophy of Science 7th Conference (&HPS7), Hannover, 5-7 July, blind selection (poster)
2018
“Thought Experiments as a sui generis scientific tool”, Société de philosophie analytique (SoPhA) 8th congress, Louvain-la-Neuve, 2-5 July, blind selection
2018
“The function and limit of Galileo’s falling bodies thought experiment: Absolute weight, specific weight and the medium’s resistance”, Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) 7th Biennial Conference, Ghent, June 29-July 1, blind selection
2018
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, Geneva University “lake geneva Biological Interest Group” meeting, 27 March, invited speaker
2018
“The function and limit of Galileo’s falling bodies thought experiment: Absolute weight, specific weight and the medium’s resistance”, Geneva University “Beyond Spacetime” project, 21 March, invited speaker
2017
“History and Philosophy of Scientific Thought Experiments”, Centre for Science Studies, Aarhus, Denmark, 22 Nov., invited speaker
2017
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, 9th European Congress of Analytic Philosophy (ECAP9), Munich, Germany, 21-26 Aug., blind selection
2017
“The Structure of Scientific Thought Experiments, or an Inconsistency Revealers and Eliminators Account”, Simulation and thought experiment conference, Geneva, Switzerland, 8-9 June, invited speaker
2016
“How thought experiments cause change in science”, Société de Philosophie des Sciences (SPS) 6th congress, Lausanne, Switzerland, 29 June-1 July, blind selection
2014
“Philosophical perspectives on scientific thought experiments”, The Association for the Study Of Mind (ASOM), American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut, Lebanon, 27 November, invited speaker
2014
“Thought experiments in the philosophy of science”, philosophy department American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut, Lebanon, 22 May, invited speaker
2007
“Thought Experiments and Computer Simulations: How Close?”, with C. Imbert, Models and Simulations II (MSII) conference, Tilburg, Netherlands, 11-13 October, blind selection
2007
“Is a successful thought experiment a ‘possible’ one?” British Society for the Philosophy of Science (BSPS) annual conference, Bristol, UK, 5-6 July, blind selection
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Fellowships, Grants and Awards
2019
Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, rank 96% (279 k€)
2018
Junior Visiting Fellowship, University of Geneva (2 k€)
2018
Marie Sklodowska-Curie MSCA-IF Seal of Excellence
2016
First class honours with highest distinctions for my PhD (Mention “Très honorable avec félicitations du jury”), Highest distinction in the French system
2015
Société de Philosophie des Sciences (SPS) Young Researcher Prize for my 2017 paper (300€)
2009
Young Researcher Prize, Fondation des Treilles (10 k€)
2008
Mobility Grant, visiting scholar, University of Pittsburgh, HPS department (2 k€)
2007
Full PhD fellowship from the French ministry of higher education (55 k€)