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Darrell Patrick Rowbottom (born 1975) is a British philosopher, currently serving as a Professor of Philosophy and RGC Senior Research Fellow at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He specializes in the philosophy of science, epistemology, and metaphysics, and has made significant contributions to discussions on scientific realism, probability, and the philosophy of artificial intelligence.

Rowbottom grew up in Bristol and attended Clifton College. He earned a BSc in Physics from the University of Bristol in 1999, followed by a series of advanced degrees. These include an MSc in the History and Philosophy of Science from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from the Durham University, where he was supervised by the eminent philosopher E.J. Lowe. In 2017, he was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from Durham University, recognizing his distinguished work in the field of philosophy.

Rowbottom's early postdoctoral work was supported by a Templeton Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh and a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Oxford, where he also held the position of Junior Research Fellow at Pembroke College. In 2011, he joined the faculty of Lingnan University in Hong Kong, where he has held various roles including Head of the Department of Philosophy (2015–2018).

As of 2022^[update] Rowbottom holds the position of RGC Senior Research Fellow, funded by a major grant from Hong Kong’s Research Grants Council. His work under this fellowship explores the Philosophy of Contemporary and Future Science, reflecting his ongoing engagement with the latest developments in AI and scientific methodology.

Rowbottom is best known for his contributions to the philosophy of science, particularly his defense of scientific anti-realism and his critique of scientific realism. His 2019 book, The Instrument of Science, revitalizes the debate on anti-realism by proposing that scientific theories should be understood as tools rather than accurate representations of reality.^[2]

In 2023, he published Scientific Progress with Cambridge University Press, furthering his ideas on the nature of scientific advancement.

His publications include over 56 journal articles and 4 monographs, and his works have been cited over 1,550 times. His h-index is 24.

Rowbottom has received several prestigious fellowships and awards, including:

• Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award (Ministry of Education, China, 2021) for his work on unconceived alternatives in science.
• Humanities and Social Science Prestigious Fellowship (RGC, Hong Kong, 2014) for his work on scientific anti-realism.
• Visiting Fellowships at prominent institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh, University of Cambridge, and Durham University.

Rowbottom has played an influential role in academic publishing, serving as Editor-in-Chief of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A (2018–2021) and as Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy since 2012. He has also been a Co-ordinating Editor of Theory and Decision since 2015.

At Lingnan University, Rowbottom teaches courses on scientific realism, probability, philosophy of AI, and logic and critical thinking. He has supervised multiple PhD students, several of whom have received accolades for their theses. He was a core contributor to the development of Lingnan’s AI and the Future MA programme.

Monographs:

• Scientific Progress (Cambridge University Press, 2023)
• The Instrument of Science (Routledge, 2019)
• Probability (Polity Press, 2015) [Also translated into Chinese and Japanese]
• Popper’s Critical Rationalism: A Philosophical Investigation (Routledge, 2011)

Journal Articles:

• "Does the No Miracles Argument Apply to AI?" with W.Peden & A.Curtis-Trudel (Synthese, 2024)
• "Scientific Realism: What It Is, The Contemporary Debate, and New Directions" (Synthese, 2019)
• "Kuhn vs. Popper on Criticism and Dogmatism in Science: a Resolution at the Group Level" (Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 2011)

• Rowbottom's Google Scholar page
• Rowbottom's philpapers.org page, including his CV
• Talk on Scientific Progress
• Come, Come, Mr Bond: ABC Interview on Probability