David Malament

Who is David Malament?

David B. Malament is an American philosopher of science, specializing in the philosophy of physics. He attended Stuyvesant High School and received a B.A. in mathematics 1968 at Columbia College, Columbia University and Ph.D. in philosophy 1975 at Rockefeller University. After teaching for nearly a quarter-century at the University of Chicago, Malament left to become Distinguished Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he is now emeritus.

Malament's work focuses the conceptual foundations of the special and general theories of relativity. Regarding whether simultaneity in special relativity, the Einstein synchronisation is conventional, Malament argues against conventionalism and has been argued by some to have refuted Adolf Grünbaum's argument for conventionalism. Grünbaum, as well as Sahotra Sarkar and John Stachel, don't agree, whereas Robert Rynasiewicz sides with Malament.

During the Vietnam War Malament was a conscientious objector to the draft, spending time in jail for refusing induction into the military. He published an article on the subject of selective conscientious objection in an early issue of the journal Philosophy and Public Affairs.