Exeter College Summer Programme student selected to present research at international philosophy conference

Exeter College Summer Programme student Samuel Blackford, an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, has been selected to present his original research at the American Philosophical Association’s 2027 Central Division Meeting in Denver, Colorado. 

Samuel developed his paper, Beyond Relativity: A Novel Growing-Block Theory in Minkowski Spacetime, during the 2026 Exeter College Summer Programme, working with Oxford doctoral researcher Ray Pedersen through the programme’s Individual Research Tutorial. 

His research explores a fundamental philosophical question: whether the future already exists or whether new events genuinely come into existence as time passes, without requiring a universal present. The paper proposes a new interpretation of the Growing Block Theory of time, examining how reality might continue to develop while remaining compatible with Einstein’s special theory of relativity. 

Samuel has been selected to present at a session organised by the Philosophy of Time Society, taking place during the conference on 24–27 February 2027. The Society brings together researchers working on philosophical questions about the nature of time, with its sessions providing opportunities to present and discuss original research. 

His selection is a significant achievement for an undergraduate, particularly as the session also features academics from Coastal Carolina University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Samuel’s proposal was assessed anonymously, meaning the selection committee considered the philosophical merits of his research without knowing his academic status. 

The research has since formed the basis of Samuel’s honours thesis at Berkeley, where he continues to develop his theory. 

Exeter College warmly congratulates Samuel on this achievement.