Staff profile

I am author of Dispositions (Oxford, 1998), Russell on Metaphysics (Routledge, 2003), Laws in Nature (Routledge, 2004), David Armstrong (Acumen, 2007), Watching Sport: Aesthetics, Ethics and Emotion (Routledge, 2011), Getting Causes from Powers (Oxford, 2011 with Rani Lill Anjum), Metaphysics: a Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2012) and Causation: a Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2013 with Rani Lill Anjum). I was editor of George Molnar's posthumous Powers: a Study in Metaphysics (Oxford, 2003) and Metaphysics and Science (Oxford, 2013 with Matthew Tugby). My PhD was from the University of Leeds in 1994 and I was at Nottingham between 1995 and 2016, serving served as Head of the Department of Philosophy, Head of the School of Humanities and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. I am currently completing a number of book projects: What Tends to Be: Essays on the Dispositional Modality and Causation in Science: on the Methods of Scientific Discovery (both with Rani Lill Anjum). I will shortly be publishing my first philosophical novel, Glimpse of Light (Bloomsbury). From 2016 to 2019 I will be on leave as I hold a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship to work on the metaphysics of nothingness and absence. The project will result in a book to be called Nothing Really Matters.

 Supervision

I supervise theses and dissertations primarily in metaphysics.

 

• Metaphysics (esp. absences and causal powers)
• Philosophy of Medicine
• History of Philosophy (esp. Ancient Philosophy and Hume)
• Philosophy of Sport
• Modality

Authored book

• Anjum, R. L., & Mumford, S. (2018). Causation in Science and the methods of scientific discovery. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198733669.001.0001
• Anjum, R. L., & Mumford, S. (2018). What Tends to Be. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351009805
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2012). Getting Causes from Powers. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780199695614.001.0001
• Molnar, G., & Mumford, S. (2011). Powers: A Study in Metaphysics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780199204175.001.0001
• Mumford, S. (2010). David Armstrong. Acumen
• Mumford, S. (2004). Laws in nature. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203458426
• Mumford, S. (2003). Dispositions. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780199259823.001.0001

Chapter in book

• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2018). Powers and potentiality. In K. Engelhard, & M. Quante (Eds.), Handbook of Potentiality (261 - 278). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1287-1_10
• Anjum, R., & Mumford, S. (2017). Emergence and demergence. . Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315638577
• Briceño, S., & Mumford, S. (2016). Relations all the way down? Against Ontic Structural Realism. In A. Marmodoro, & D. Yates (Eds.), The Metaphysics of Relations (198-217). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198735878.001.0001
• Mumford, S. (2016). The aesthetics in football: The beautiful game?. In J. Hughson, K. Moore, R. Spaaij, & J. Maguire (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Football Studies (236 - 244). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203066430
• Mumford, S. (2013). The power of power. . Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203075609
• Mumford, S. (2013). A new solution to the problem of negative truth. In J. Monnoyer (Ed.), . De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110326918.313
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2013). With great power comes great responsibility. In B. Kahmen, & M. Stepanians (Eds.), Critical Essays on "Causation and Responsibility" (219 - 238). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110302295.219
• Anjum, R., Lie, S., & Mumford, S. (2013). Dispositions and ethics. . Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203075609
• Mumford, S. (2013). A pornographic way of seeing. In H. Maes (Ed.), Pornographic Art and the Aesthetics of Pornography (58-72). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137367938
• Issues in the Metaphysics of Realism (101-118). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203124482
• Mumford, S. (2012). Filled in space. In B. Gnassounou, & M. Kistler (Eds.), Dispositions Et Pouvoirs Causaux (67 - 80). Ashgate Publishing
• Mumford, S. (2010). Causal Powers and Capacities. In H. Beebee, C. Hitchcock, & P. Menzies (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Causation (265 - 278). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199279739.003.0013
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2010). A powerful theory of causation. . Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203851289
• Mumford, S. (2009). Powers and persistence. In L. Honnefelder, E. Runggaldier, & B. Schick (Eds.), Unity and Time in Metaphysics (223 - 236). Walter De Gruyter Incorporated. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110212358
• Mumford, S. (2009). Ascribing dispositions. In Debating Dispositions: Issues in Metaphysics, Epistemology and Philosophy of Mind (168-185). Walter de Gruyter GmbH and Co. KG. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110211825
• Realism about Causality in Philosophy and Social Science (139 - 151). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203932636

Journal Article

• Mumford, S. (2021). Where the Real Power Lies: a Reply to Bird. Mind, 130(520), 1295-1308. https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzab046
• Mumford, S. (2019). The aesthetics of sport and the arts: competing and complementary. Sport in Society, 5, 723-733. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2018.1430478
• Mumford, S. (2017). Beyond 'crude pragmatism' in sports coaching: Insights from C.S. Peirce, William James, and John Dewey: A commentary. International journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 12(1), 65-66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954116684224
• Anjum, R., & Mumford, S. (2017). A philosophical argument against evidence-based policy. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 23(5), 1045-1050. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12578
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. L. (2015). Powers, Non-consent and Freedom. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 91(1), 136-152. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12112
• Mumford, S. (2015). In praise of teamwork. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 42(1), 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2014.961158
• Anjum, R., Kerry, R., & Mumford, S. (2015). Evidence based on what?. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 21(6), E11-E12
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. L. (2015). Freedom and Control: on the Modality of Free Will. American Philosophical Quarterly, 52(1), 1-11
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2014). The tendential theory of sporting prowess. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 41(3), 399-412. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2014.911097
• Kerry, R., Eriksen, T., Noer Lie, S., Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2014). Causation in evidence-based medicine: In reply to Strand and Parkkinen. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 20(6), 985-987. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12189
• Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. L. (2014). A new argument against compatibilism. Analysis, 74(1), 20-25. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/ant095
• Eriksen, T., Kerry, R., Mumford, S., Lie, S., & Anjum, R. (2013). At the borders of medical reasoning: Aetiological and ontological challenges of medically unexplained symptoms. Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine, 8(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-5341-8-11
• Kerry, R., Madouasse, A., Arthur, A., & Mumford, S. (2013). Analysis of scientific truth status in controlled rehabilitation trials. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 19(4), 617-625. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2012.01855.x
• Mumford, S. (2012). Moderate partisanship as oscillation. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 6(3), 369-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/17511321.2012.667826
• Kerry, R., Eriksen, T., Lie, S., Mumford, S., & Anjum, R. (2012). Causation and evidence-based practice: An ontological review. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 18(5), 1006-1012. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2012.01908.x
• Mumford, S. (2012). Emotions and aesthetics: An inevitable trade-off?. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 39(2), 267-279. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2012.725896
• Lacerda, T., & Mumford, S. (2010). The genius in art and in sport: A contribution to the investigation of aesthetics of sport. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 37(2), 182-193. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2010.9714775
• Mumford, S. (2010). Breaking it or faking it? Some critical thoughts on the voluntary suspension of play and six proposed revisions. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 4(3), 254-268. https://doi.org/10.1080/17511320903264248
• Mumford, S. (2010). No Power in Unger's World. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 80(2), 476-483. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00327.x
• Kerry, R., Maddocks, M., & Mumford, S. (2008). Philosophy of science and physiotherapy: An insight into practice. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 24(6), 397-407. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593980802511797
• Mumford, S. (2008). Russell's defence of idleness. https://doi.org/10.15173/russell.v28i1.2130
• Mumford, S. (2007). III - Negative truth and falsehood
• Mumford, S. (2006). Truth makers for judgement calls. European Journal of Sport Science, 6(3), 179-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461390600676267
• Mumford, S. (2006). Function, structure, capacity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2005.12.008
• Mumford, S. (2006). The ungrounded argument. Synthese, 149(3), 471-489. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-005-0570-8
• Mumford, S. (2005). The true and the false. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 83(2), 263-269. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048400500111170
• Mumford, S. (2005). Laws and lawlessness. Synthese, 144(3), 397-413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-005-5873-2
• Mumford, S. (2005). Kinds, essences, powers. Ratio: An international journal of analytic philosophy, 18(4), 420-436. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9329.2005.00303.x
• Mumford, S. (2004). Allegiance and identity. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 31(2), 184-195. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2004.9714659
• Mumford, S. (2001). Realism and the conditional analysis of dispositions: Reply to Malzkorn. Philosophical Quarterly, 51(204), 375-378. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00235
• Mumford, S. (2001). Miracles: Metaphysics and modality. Religious Studies, 37(2), 191-202
• Mumford, S. (2000). Normative and Natural Laws. Journal of Plasma Physics, 75(2), 265-282. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031819100000280
• Mumford, S. (1999). Intentionality and the physical: A new theory of disposition ascription. Philosophical Quarterly, 49(195), 215-225. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9213.00138
• Mumford, S. (1998). Laws of nature Outlawed. Dialectica, 52(2), 83-101
• Mumford, S. (1996). Conditionals, functional essences and martin on dispositions. Philosophical Quarterly, 46(182), 86-92. https://doi.org/10.2307/2956310
• Mumford, S. (1995). Ellis and lierse on dispositional essentialism. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 73(4), 606-612. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048409512346961
• Mumford, S. (1995). DISPOSITIONS, BASES, OVERDETERMINATION AND IDENTITIES. Ratio: An international journal of analytic philosophy, 8(1), 42-62. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9329.1995.tb00068.x
• Mumford, S. (1994). Dispositions, supervenience and reduction. Philosophical Quarterly, 44(177), 419-438. https://doi.org/10.2307/2220243