Richard W. Lawrence

Personal details

Name: Richard W. Lawrence
Email: rwl + the usual commercial accounting symbol + recursewithless.net
Web: https://recursewithless.net
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6633-0246
Citizenship: US

Education

08.2017 PhD in Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley

05.2007 BA summa cum laude in Philosophy with Honors (minor in Mathematics), University of Pennsylvania

Academic experience

Positions

		Post-doctoral
	present	Principal Investigator, Frege Among the Formalists, FWF ESPRIT Grant, University of Vienna
10.2021	03.2022	IVC Fellow, Institute Vienna Circle, University of Vienna
04.2021	09.2021	Post-doctoral researcher, General and Computational Linguistics (65%) and Philosophy (35%), University of Tübingen
06.2019	03.2021	Post-doctoral researcher, General and Computational Linguistics, University of Tübingen
10.2018	12.2018	Visiting post-doctoral researcher, Free University Berlin
09.2017	08.2018	Berkeley Connect Fellow, University of California, Berkeley
		Pre-doctoral
08.2009	08.2017	PhD student in Philosophy (50%), University of California, Berkeley
07.2008	07.2009	Research coordinator, Computational Memory Lab, University of Pennsylvania

Areas

Specializations: philosophy of mathematics, language, and logic
Competences: technology and ethics, mathematical logic, philosophy of science, ancient philosophy
Other interests: digital media, aesthetics, political philosophy

Technical experience

Skills

Web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Bootstrap, XML, XSLT), Python (Django, Numpy/Scipy), Git, Unix (Debian GNU/Linux, others), Databases and SQL (PostgreSQL, SQLite), Emacs and Elisp

Work history

General and Computational Linguistics, Universität Tübingen (FT, 06.2019–09.2021)

Created interactive interfaces for linguistic research data (React, Bootstrap, Docker and other modern Web technologies)
Developed metadata transformations to make archived research data discoverable on the Web (HTML, CSS, XML, XSLT)
Archived linguistic research data and metadata in collaboration with other researchers
Reduced technical debt and maintenance load for internal database editor (React, Java, Postgres)

Computational Memory Lab, University of Pennsylvania (FT, 07.2008–07.2009)

Advanced long-term study of human memory by collecting, manipulating, and analyzing behavioral and EEG data (Matlab, Python, and Unix tools)
Designed and built laboratory information management system (Python, Django)
Trained in psychological research ethics and relevant U.S. regulations

Publishers’ Assistant (FT, 09.2007–06.2008)

Client-driven Web development (COM and ASP-based technology stack)

Haematologic Technologies, Inc. (PT, Summers 2003–2006)

Supported quality control processes by programming temperature monitor for laboratory freezers (R)

Kelly Writers House (PT, Semesters 2003–2007)

Web development and maintenance for literary arts organization (HTML, CSS, PHP)

Open Source Contributions

Contributor to metadatatransformation, a Web service that converts between metadata formats used by the Tübingen Archive of Language Resources
Author of germanet-common, a React library for building applications with the GermaNet semantic database
Author and maintainer of ox-linguistics, which provides syntax for linguistic examples in Org Mode documents
Author and maintainer of schoolutils, a database and CLI for assignments and grades
Contributor of patches, bug reports, and user support to the Open Logic Project, evil-mode, afew, org-mode, and other open source projects

Publications

Peer reviewed articles

Lawrence, Richard and Justin Vlasits. Forthcoming. Translators’ Introduction and Translation of Olga Hahn, “On the Coefficients of a Logical Equation and their Relation to the Theory of Valid Inference”. In: Aristotle’s Organon in Old and New Logic. Eds. Colin King and Venanzio Raspa. Bloomsbury.

Lawrence, Richard. 2024. “Kant’s Prize Essay and Nineteenth Century Formalism”. Kant Yearbook 16 (1) 31–52. https://doi.org/10.1515/kantyb-2024-0002

Lawrence, Richard. 2023. “Frege, Thomae, and Formalism: Shifting Perspectives”. Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy 11 (2) 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15173/jhap.v11i2.5366

Lawrence, Richard. 2021. “Frege, Hankel, and Formalism in the Foundations”. Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy 9 (11) 5–27. https://doi.org/10.15173/jhap.v9i11.5007

Lawrence, Richard. 2021. “Giving the value of a variable”. Kriterion — Journal of Philosophy 35. https://doi.org/10.1515/krt-2021-0007

Book reviews

Lawrence, Richard. 2022. “Review of K. Hossack, Knowledge and the Philosophy of Number.” History and Philosophy of Logic. https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2022.2080373

Lawrence, Richard. 2017. “Review of K. Felka, Talking about Numbers: Easy Arguments for Mathematical Realism.” History and Philosophy of Logic 38 (4): 390–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2017.1331988

Conference papers

Hinrichs, Marie, Richard Lawrence and Erhard Hinrichs. 2020. “Exploring and visualizing wordnet data with GermaNet Rover”. In: Proceedings of CLARIN Annual Conference 2020. Eds. C. Navarretta and M. Eskevich. Virtual Edition. http://office.clarin.eu/v/CE-2020-1738-CLARIN2020_ConferenceProceedings.pdf

Translations and digital editions

Hankel, Hermann. 1867/2023. Lectures on Complex Numbers and their Functions, Part I: Theory of Complex Number Systems. Translated by Richard Lawrence. Current version Source code Latest release

Hahn, Olga. 1910/Forthcoming. “On the Coefficients of a Logical Equation and their Relation to the Theory of Valid Inference”. In: Aristotle’s Organon in Old and New Logic. Eds. Colin King and Venanzio Raspa. Translated by Richard Lawrence and Justin Vlasits. Bloomsbury.

Research software

Lawrence, Richard. 2019 (first release). germanet-common. https://github.com/Germanet-sfs/germanet-common

Lawrence, Richard and Marie Hinrichs. 2020 (first release). GermaNet Rover. https://weblicht.sfs.uni-tuebingen.de/rover/

Dissertation

Lawrence, Richard. 2017. Nominalization, Specification, and Investigation. University of California, Berkeley. Committee: Professors John MacFarlane and Paolo Mancosu (co-chairs, Philosophy), Hannah Ginsborg (third member, Philosophy) and Line Mikkelsen (outside member, Linguistics). https://www.proquest.com/docview/2014397432

Manuscripts in development

Lawrence, Richard. “Who are the persons, and how many are the numbers?”. Under review.

Presentations (invited and refereed)

December 4, 2023. “Hankel on formal mathematics and its applications”. From Permanence to Conservativity: Metatheoretic ideals in early formalism, University of Vienna.
October 23, 2023. “Frege vs. the formalists on content and applications of arithmetic”. Lisbon Workshop on the History of Logic, University of Lisbon.
July 14, 2023. “Frege, Formalism and the Kantian Legacy”. Society for the Study of the History of Analytical Philosophy, Humboldt University Berlin.
July 11, 2023. “Frege, Formalism and the Kantian Legacy”. Frege and the Emergence of Formalism, University of Vienna.
February 16, 2023. “Kant’s theory of signs and Hilbert’s formalism”. The Formal Turn in 20th Century Thought, University of Vienna.
December 5, 2022. “Olga Hahn and the coefficients of a logical equation”. Logik Café, University of Vienna.
November 18, 2022. “Signs, rules, meaning, and the chess analogy”. Vienna Language and Mind Group, University of Vienna.
November 14, 2022. “Signs and content in early mathematical formalism”. Department of Logic, Czech Academy of Sciences.
September 15, 2022. “The chess analogy in its historical context”. Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie, Humboldt University Berlin.
August 24, 2022. “The chess analogy in its historical context”. TiLPS History of Analytic Philosophy Workshop, Tilburg University.
December 6, 2021. “Formalism through the eyes of Weierstrass and Thomae”. Logik Café, University of Vienna.
November 19, 2021. “Formalism through the eyes of Weierstrass and Thomae”. Novembertagung in the History and Philosophy of Mathematics.
July 16, 2021. “Frege and formalism: an apology for Thomae.” Society for the Study of the History of Analytical Philosophy, University of Vienna.
December 2, 2020. “Hankel’s formalism, Frege’s logicism, and the analytic-synthetic distinction.” Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker-Kolloquium, University of Tübingen.
November 28, 2020. “Hankel’s formalism and Frege’s logicism.” Novembertagung on the History and Philosophy of Mathematics. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
December 12, 2019. “Perspectives in the semantics of variables.” University of Vienna.
October 28, 2019. “Frege’s arguments against formalism.” Logik Café, University of Vienna.
June 13, 2019. “Frege on concepts and objects.” Master Class on the Lesser-Known Frege in Kantian Context, Boston University.
May 7, 2019. “Algebraic investigations.” Oberseminar am Institut für Philosophie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
January 29, 2019. “Variables and Values in Practice.” Workshop in Natural Language Semantics, Freie Universität Berlin.
June 20, 2018. “Frege’s epistemological understanding of objects and concepts.” Society for the Study of the History of Analytical Philosophy, McMaster University.
April 19, 2017. “Some puzzles about the indefinite article.” Society for Linguistics Undergraduate Students, University of California, Berkeley.
March 31, 2017. “Who are the persons, and how many are the numbers?” Doc’in Nicod, Institut Jean Nicod.
February 2, 2017. “Who are the persons, and how many are the numbers?” SemanticsBabble, University of California, San Diego.
December 14, 2016. “Who are the persons, and how many are the numbers?” Philosophy Graduate Research Colloquium, University of California, Berkeley.
August 5, 2016. “Concepts and objects in game-theoretical semantics.” Logic Colloquium 2016, Association for Symbolic Logic European Summer Meeting, University of Leeds.
December 2, 2014. “Three analyses of specificational sentences.” Meaning Sciences Club, University of California, Berkeley.

Professional service

Article Referee (dialectica, Dialogue, Philosophia Mathematica, Philosophical Quarterly, Semantics and Pragmatics, Synthese)
Member, European Society for the Philosophy of Mathematics, April 2023–present.
Member, Gesellschaft für analytische Philosophie, May 2019–present.
Organizing Committee Member, Novembertagung On the History and Philosophy of Mathematics 2021.
Contributor, forall x Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, an open access textbook from the Open Logic Project
Member, Berkeley-Stanford Circle in Logic and Philosophy, Fall 2014–Spring 2018
Organizer, Berkeley Philosophy Department work-in-progress lunches, Spring 2015

Fellowships, Awards and Honors (competitive)

2021	Visiting Research Fellowship, Institute Vienna Circle, University of Vienna
2019	Master Class Travel Fellowship, Journal of the History of Philosophy
2018	Researcher Mobility Fund Fellowship, Free University Berlin
2017	Berkeley Connect Mentoring Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley
2014	Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, University of California, Berkeley
2007	President’s Award for Undergraduate Research, University of Pennsylvania

Teaching

^U: upper-level course

^D: course taught in German

Universität Wien

Winter 2023–24	Frege’s Philosophy of Language^U
Summer 2023	Philosophy of Science^U

Universität Tübingen

Summer 2021	Frege und Formalismus^U
Winter 2020–21	Technology and Ethics
Summer 2020	Freges Grundlagen der Arithmetik^D
Winter 2019–20	Reference to Numbers and Other Abstract Objects^U

University of California, Berkeley

Summer 2018	Ancient Philosophy
Summer 2017	Introduction to Logic
Summer 2015	Ancient Philosophy
Summer 2014	Ancient Philosophy

Additional teaching experience as Graduate Student Instructor includes upper-level courses in Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mathematics, Aristotle, and Philosophical Methods.

Languages

English (native speaker)
German (B2, some teaching experience)