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Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering ( SRPo / iSE ). Carla Fehr Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy, Department of Philosophy carla.fehr@uwaterloo.ca. Overview. Mission History Goals and approaches How to get involved.
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Consortium for Socially RelevantPhilosophy of/in Science and Engineering (SRPo/iSE) Carla Fehr Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy, Department of Philosophy carla.fehr@uwaterloo.ca
Overview • Mission • History • Goals and approaches • How to get involved
SRPo/iSE Mission • “This consortium supports, advances, and conducts philosophical work that is related to science and engineering and that contributes to public welfare and collective wellbeing. • “We aim to improve the capacity of philosophers of all specializations to collaborate and engage with scientists, engineers, policy-makers, and a wide range of publics to foster epistemically and ethically responsible scientific and technological research.” www.srpoise.org
SRPo/iSE Mission • Address complex social and environmental problems • Facilitating effective collaborative research across the disciplines • Training graduate students and postdocs • Partnering with other groups in Philosophy and Science Studies • Committed to be diverse, welcoming and collegial
History • Many tributaries • Missed opportunities to do good in the world • Dr. Plaisance was a driving force instigating conferences and workshops associated with the APA and PSA • Marginalized in philosophy: “concerned for the success of our students”
History • Systematically: What is this work, and how can we do it well? • Reflexively: What is it about Philosophy that makes it difficult to do this work? • Started out as SRPOS
Synthese, December 2010, 177(3) Socially relevant philosophy of science: an introduction Carla Fehr and Kathryn S. Plaisance Engagement for progress: applied philosophy of science in context Heather Douglas Feminist philosophy of science: history, contributions, and challenges Sarah S. Richardson Questions asked and unasked: how by worrying less about the ‘really real’ philosophers of science might better contribute to debates about genetics and race Lisa Gannett Scientific and lay communities: earning epistemic trust through knowledge sharing Heidi E. Grasswick Trust, expertise, and the philosophy of science Kyle Powys Whyte and Robert P. Crease In favour of a Millian proposal to reform biomedical research Julian ReissConceptual analysis and special-interest science: toxicology and the case of Edward Calabrese Kristin Shrader-Frechette Leading with ethics, aiming for policy: new opportunities for philosophy of science Nancy Tuana
Goals and Approaches Motivating Goal: Develop and support practices and theories in Philosophy that improve public welfare, scientific practice and philosophical work. Missed opportunities: • Social • Epistemic/ethical consequences of methodological choices • Scientific • Identify background assumptions, offer epistemic resources • Philosophical • Raise new questions or new perspectives on old questions Fehr and Plaisance 2010
Goals and Approaches SRPOS entails at least one of the following: • Research topics • Gender/race and genomics; trust; expertise • Engage stakeholder groups • Scientists; policy makers; broader publics • Broad dissemination • Science labs, conferences, journals; policy; popular media An inclusive and pluralistic approach Fehr and Plaisance 2010
Overcoming barriers and the formation of a consortium • “Just applied ethics, or applied POS” • “Not real philosophy” • Marginalization of some disciplines where it already happens (feminist POS) • Perceptions among practitioners that there is less of it out there than there actually is These barriers are difficult to surmount because they are institutionalized in philosophy culture. There was a need to organize.
SRPo/iSE Mission • “This consortium supports, advances, and conducts philosophical work that is related to science and engineering and that contributes to public welfare and collective wellbeing. • “We aim to improve the capacity of philosophers of all specializations to collaborate and engage with scientists, engineers, policy-makers, and a wide range of publics to foster epistemically and ethically responsible scientific and technological research.” www.srpoise.org
How to get involved • http://srpoise.org • Individual memberships • Institutional memberships • News • Events • Research • Teaching • Resources
Consortium for Socially RelevantPhilosophy of/in Science and Engineering (SRPo/iSE) Carla Fehr Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy, Department of Philosophy carla.fehr@uwaterloo.ca