The aim of this group is to explore and enhance the interface between HPS and science. Though many of us in HPS engage closely with science and scientists, we could benefit from more explicit discussions about the relationship between HPS and science itself, and from more opportunities for HPS-scholars and scientists to help each other's work.
The theme of this term's meetings is 'Philosophy of Science in the Wild'. We host four practising Cambridge scientists from engineering, psychology, zoology and material science, each of whom is engaged in projects with recognisable philosophical components: how to balance different methods (Crilly), how to rank different sources of evidence (Christie), how to implement open and reproducible science (Orben), and how to communicate science (Dolan). We start with a brief presentation of their work before moving on to a relaxed and friendly Q&A.
We meet on Fridays, 3.30–5.00pm in Seminar Room 2. Further information and reading materials will be distributed through the email list of the group; please contact Anna Alexandrova (aa686) if you would like to be included on the list.
Michaelmas Term 2019
| 18 October | Nathan Crilly (Engineering Design, Cambridge) Pluralism and monism in design fixation research |
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| 8 November | Alec Christie (Zoology, Cambridge) What works in wildlife conservation? Assessing the evidence to save the planet |
| 22 November | Amy Orben (Emmanuel College and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge) 1 million correlations: steps towards reproducible psychological science |
| 29 November | James Dolan (King's College, Cambridge) Science communication's 'missing masses': scale and symmetry in the study of science communication |