History and Philosophy of Science

David Beer, "The Problem of Researching a Recursive Society: Algorithms, Data Coils, and the Looping of the Social" (2022, Big Data & Society)
Beatrice Fazi, "Beyond Human: Deep Learning, Explainability, and Representation" (2021, Theory, Culture, & Society)

Adam Koberinski & Chris Smeenk, "The Cosmological Constant and the Limits of Effective Field Theory" (2023, Philosophy of Science)

Wendy Parker, "The Epistemic Projection Approach to Values in Science" (2024, Philosophy of Science)

James Lowe and David Ingram, "DNA Barcoding and the Changing Ontological Commitments of Taxonomy" (2023, Biology and Philosophy)

James Woodward, "Modelling Interventions in Multi-Level Causal Systems: Supervenience, Exclusion and Underdetermination" (2022, European Journal for Philosophy of Science)
 
 

Ryan Neftd, "Motivating a Scientific Modelling Continuum: The case of natural models in the Covid-19 pandemic" (2023, Philosophy of Science)

Discussion with Prof. Richardson (no new reading)

Richardson, The Maternal Imprint, Ch. 7-9

Richardson, The Maternal Imprint, Ch. 4-6 (Ch. 3 optional)

Richardson, The Maternal Imprint, Ch. 1-2

Rouse, Articulating the World, Ch. 9-10 (Ch. 11, epilogue optional)

Rouse, Articulating the World, Ch. 7-8 (Ch. 6 optional)

Rouse, "Toward a New Naturalism"
Rouse, Articulating the World, Ch. 3 (Ch. 4-5 optional)

Leonelli, Data-Centric Biology
Ch. 6-7

Leonelli, Data-Centric Biology
Ch. 3-5

Leonelli, Data-Centric Biology
Ch. 1-2

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 14-16

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 10-12 (Ch. 13 optional)

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 5-6, 8-9 (Ch. 7 optional)

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 1-4

(Cancelled)

(Cancelled)
Epstein, The Ant Trap
TBA, selections from Ch. 10-16

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 5-9

Epstein, The Ant Trap
Ch. 1-4

de Regt, Understanding Scientific Understanding
Ch. 5-7
Choose the case study that is most interesting to you. Gary, Babak, and Noel will lead a discussion of each chapter.

de Regt, Understanding Scientific Understanding
Chapter 4

NOTE SPECIAL DATE
de Regt, Understanding Scientific Understanding
Chapter 2 (Chapter 3 optional)

We will read Alexander Reutlinger and Juha Saatsi (eds.) Explanation Beyond Causation (Oxford, 2018), Chapers 5 and 6 (by Michael Strevens and Jim Woodward, respectively).
We will meet from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Consortium (431 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia).   Pizza and soda will be served.

We will read Alexander Reutlinger and Juha Saatsi (eds.) Explanation Beyond Causation (Oxford, 2018), Chapers 7 and 8 (by Alisa Bokulich and Mazviita Chirimuuta, respectively).
We will meet from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Consortium (431 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia).   Pizza and soda will be served.
 

This Spring we will read Alexander Reutlinger and Juha Saatsi (eds.) Explanation Beyond Causation (Oxford, 2018). (This came in second in our voting last summer). For February 13, please read the Introduction and Chapters 1-3 (about 70 pages total). (I will not be circulating PDFs, but have no objection if someone else wants to.) Noel Swanson will lead the discussion.
We will meet from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Consortium (431 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia).   Pizza and soda will be served.
 

We will be reading Anya Plutynski's Explaining Cancer: Finding Order in Disorder (Oxford, 2018) Chapters 5, 6, and Conclusion. Anya Plutynski will Skype in for the discussion.

We will be reading Anya Plutynski's Explaining Cancer: Finding Order in Disorder (Oxford, 2018) Chapters 3 and 4. Ashley Inglehart will open the discussion.

We will be discussing Anya Plutynski's Explaining Cancer: Finding Order in Disorder (Oxford, 2018), Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2. Nabeel Hamid will open the discussion.

This Spring, we read Lena Soler, Emiliano Trizio, and Andrew Pickering, eds., Science as it Could Have Been (Pittsburgh, 2015).  For our April 11 meeting, please read Chapters 12 ("The Science of Mind as It Could Have Been, by Bitbol and Petitmengen) and 14 ("On the Plurality of (Theoretical) World," by Levy-LeBlond). Iaan Reynolds (Villanova) will introduce ch. 12, and Noel Swanson (Delaware) ch. 14.

This Spring, we read Lena Soler, Emiliano Trizio, and Andrew Pickering, eds., Science as it Could Have Been (Pittsburgh, 2015).  For our March 14 meeting, please read Chapters 3, 4, and 6, by Pickering, Trizio, and Collins respectively. Tawrin Baker (UPenn) introduced the readings.

This Spring we will be reading:
Lena Soler, Emiliano Trizio, and Andrew Pickering, eds., Science as it Could
Have Been (Pittsburgh, 2015). For the first meeting, please read Chapters 1 and 2.
Noel Swanson (U of Delaware) lead the discussion.

Chapters 9 and 10 and Conclusion of About Method
Jutta Schickore (Indiana) joined the group for the final discussion of her book.

Chapters 5-8 of About Method.  The discussion was opened by Tawrin Baker (UPenn)

Introduction and Chapters 1-4 of Jutta Schickore's About Method: Experimenters, Snake Venom, and the History of Writing Scientifically (Chicago, 2017).  The discussion was opened by Miriam Solomon.

Reading: Creating Consilience, chs. 19, Sugiyama and Sugyama, "Monster Stories," and 22, "Language, Cognition, and Literature." The "Afterword" is also recommended. Devin Curry opened the discussion.

Reading: Creating Consilience, chs. 8, Darren Irwin, "Culture in Songbirds," and 9, Olivier Morin, "When Does Psychology Drive Culture?"; Philip G. Chase, "Human Culture Is More Than Memes," ch. 14, Evolution of Mind, Brain, and Culture. Andrew Payne led the discussion.

Reading: Creating Consilience, chs. 5 and 7 (for and against methodological unity between humanistic and natural scientific approaches in cultural anthropology). 

​Gary Hatfield started the discussion of Creating Consilience, "Introduction", and Rudolf Makkreel, "Wilhelm Dilthey and the Neo-Kantians," Journal of the History of Philosophy 7 (1969), pp. 423-440. 

Helen Longino, Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality (University of Chicago Press, 2013). 

Devin Curry introduced Chapters 5-8 of Helen Longino's Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality (University of Chicago Press, 2013).

Nabeel Hamid introduced Chapters 1-4 of Helen Longino's Studying Human Behavior: How Scientists Investigate Aggression and Sexuality (University of Chicago Press, 2013).

Nancy Nersessian joined the group by Skype for discussion of her Creating Scientific Concepts (MIT Press, 2010), chapters 1 through 6.

The group read Nancy Nersessian's Creating Scientific Concepts (MIT Press, 2010), chapters 3 & 4, and Gary Hatfield gave comments to open the discussion.

The group read Nancy Nersessian's Creating Scientific Concepts (MIT Press, 2010), chapters 1 & 2.

Kevin Connelly of UPenn lead a discussion of Theodore Arabatzis, Representing Electrons: A Biographical Approach to Theoretical Entities (Chicago, 2005), chapter 9.

Babak Ashrafi, Consortium for HSTM, lead a discussion of Theodore Arabatzis, Representing Electrons: A Biographical Approach to Theoretical Entities (Chicago, 2005), chapters 6, 7, and 8.

Gary Hatfield introduced chapters 4-5 of Theodore Arabatzis, Representing Electrons: A Biographical Approach to Theoretical Entities (Chicago, 2005).

Nabeel Hamid introduced chapters 1-3 of Theodore Arabatzis, Representing Electrons: A Biographical Approach to Theoretical Entities (Chicago, 2005).

Miriam Solomon of Temple University introduced Jutta Schickore, "More Thoughts on HPS: Another 20 Years Later," Perspectives on Science 19 (4): 453-481.

Kevin Connolly of UPenn introduced Chapter 6 and Flavia Padovani of Drexel University introduced Chapter 7 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity.

Louise Daoust of UPenn introduced Chapter 5 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity.

Phillip Honenberger of CHSTM introduced chapter 4 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity.

Nabeel Hamid of UPenn introduced Chapter 3 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity.

Adam Knowles of Drexel introduced Chapter 2 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity.

Gary Hatfield of UPenn introduced the Prologue and Chapter 1 of Daston and Galison's Objectivity as well as a review of Objectivity by Ian Kidd from Philosophy in Review, 2009.

Phillip Honenberger introduced a final set of selections from Erkenntnis (2011) v75, "What (Good) is Historical Epistemology?"

Louise Daoust of UPenn introduced selections from Erkenntnis (2011) v75, "What (Good) is Historical Epistemology?"

Steve Kimbrough of UPenn will introduce selections from Erkenntnis (2011) v75, "What (Good) is Historical Epistemology?"

Nabeel Hamid of UPenn will introduce two selections from Erkenntnis (2011) v75: "Remembering (Short-Term) Memory: Oscillations of an Epistemic Thing" by Uljana Feest and "The Significance of Re-Doing Experiments:A Contribution to Historically Informed Methodology" by Jutta Schickore.

Nabeel Hamid of UPenn introduced William Wimsatt's (1981) paper "Robustness, Reliability, and Overdetermination" and Thomas Nickles' "Dynamic Robustness and Design in Nature and Artifact", both from Characterizing the Robustness of Science: After the Practice Turn in Philosophy of Science, eds. Lena Soler, et. al., Springer 2012.

Gary Hatfield of UPenn introduced "The Solidity of Scientific Achievements," by Lena Soler, and "Achieving Robustness to Confirm Controversial Hypotheses: A Case Study in Cell Biology" by Trizio Emiliano, both from Characterizing the Robustness of Science: After the Practice Turn in Philosophy of Science, eds. Lena Soler, et. al., Springer 2012.

Miriam Solomon of Temple University introduced Jacob Stegenga, "Rerum Concordia Discors: Robustness and Discordant Multimodal Evidence" and Mieke Boon, "Understanding Scientific Practices: The Role of Robustness Notions," both from Characterizing the Robustness of Science: After the Practice Turn in Philosophy of Science, eds. Lena Soler, et. al., Springer 2012.

April 10, 2013

Emily Parke introduced Detecting Themes and Variations: The Use of Cases in Developmental Biology by Rachel Ankeny and Case Studies: One Observation or Many? Justification or Discovery? by Mary Morgan

Matthew Lund introduced Ron Giere's History and Philosophy of Science: Thirty Five Years Later (2012) and Alan Richardson's From Troubled Marriage to Uneasy Co-Location (2012 )

Flavia Padovani introduced Scientific Philosophy as a Topic for History of Science (2008) by Alan Richardson and On Scientific Observation (2008) by Lorraine Daston

Gary Hatfield introduced Don Howard's Philosophy of Science and the History of Science from the 2011 anthology edited by Steven French and Juha Saatsi, The Continuum Companion to the Philosophy of Science.

Miriam Solomon introduced two chapters from Histories of Scientific Observation eds. Lorraine Daston and Elizabeth Lunbeck (Chicago, 2011): Seeing is Believing: Professor Vagner's Wonderful World by Michael D. Gordin (chp. 5) and Frogs on the Mantlepiece: The Practice of Observation in Daily Life by Mary Terrall (chp. 7).