The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy

Founded in 2010 by Professor Hannes Leitgeb the center explores philosophy also using probabilistic-statistical and computational approaches. Leitgeb and his colleagues Professor Stephan Hartmann and Professor Christian List are co-directors of the MCMP.

“At the heart of our research is the idea of precisely describing philosophical problems according to their structure,” explains Leitgeb, “and embedding them in logical systems, probability models, and other formal frameworks.” This opens up new approaches to questions of truth, meaning, and rational decision-making.

Located in the Faculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Religious Studies on Ludwigstraße, the MCMP consists of three basic units: Leitgeb’s Chair of Logic and Philosophy of Language, Stephan Hartmann’s Chair of Philosophy of Science (since 2012), and Christian List’s Chair of Philosophy and Decision Theory, which was established in 2021. The center was facilitated and shaped by Alexander von Humboldt Professorships for Leitgeb and Hartmann.

At the MCMP, researchers analyze topics in fields such as the philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics and physics, epistemology, and the philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence. Their work is not just international, but also interdisciplinary: Numerous projects are undertaken in cooperation with researchers from mathematics, computer science, physics, economics, and cognitive science – areas which call for mathematical precision and philosophical depth in equal measure.

There is also a focus on topics that go beyond classical philosophy. For example, the project “From Bias to Knowledge: The Epistemology of Machine Learning,” led by Tom Sterkenburg, investigates how knowledge from data-driven AI systems can be philosophically justified. Meanwhile, Stephan Hartmann and Jacob Stegenga’s joint project “Amalgamating Evidence About Causes: Medicine, the Medical Sciences, and Beyond” analyzes how to meaningfully combine evidence of causes from medical trials. And in David Colaco’s project “Three Methodological Problems in Memory Science,” philosophers are collaborating with memory researchers and cognitive scientists to clarify fundamental methodological questions surrounding memory. Nevertheless, emphasizes Leitgeb, the center’s close connections with the philosophical faculty continue to define it. “Our research is not practiced in isolation, but right in the middle of philosophy.”

Since its foundation, the MCMP has grown from a small team to an internationally visible and widely networked research platform. In addition to numerous scientific projects, it has established fellowship programs, workshops, conferences, and international residencies designed to further academic exchange. At the same time, it has expanded its offering for students: The English-language master’s program ‘Logic and Philosophy of Science’ systematically integrates formal methods into teaching and is attracting a growing number of young researchers from all around the world.

The center is dedicated to nurturing early-career researchers. Doctoral candidates and postdocs bring their own projects with them and help shape the research environment. Meanwhile, master’s students work with formal methods and current research approaches from the beginning – an environment that attracts talented early-career researchers. “Here at the MCMP, we’ve got lots of excellent young people who are interested in reflecting philosophically about the world and themselves,” says Leitgeb. “This makes me very hopeful about the future of mathematical philosophy.”