Seminars are held in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.
| Michaelmas Term | |
|---|---|
| Asiatick Researches Charu Singh |
Thu 10am (weeks 1–4) |
| Théâtre D'opéra Spatial Tom McClelland |
Fri 10am (weeks 1–4) |
| Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist Matt Farr |
Mon 10am (weeks 1–4) |
| Du Bois and The Souls of Black Folk Richard Staley |
Tue 10am (weeks 1–4) |
| Comparative Psychology Marta Halina |
Wed 10am (weeks 1–4) |
| Tycho Brahe and the Renewal of Astronomy Emma Perkins |
Wed 2pm (weeks 1–4) |
Seminars
Asiatick Researches
Charu Singh (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
Théâtre D'opéra Spatial
Tom McClelland (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
- Théâtre D'opéra Spatial, image created by Jason M. Allen using the generative AI platform Midjourney
Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist
Matt Farr (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
- Paul Arthur Shilpp (ed.), Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist (New York: Harper, 1959)
Du Bois and The Souls of Black Folk
Richard Staley (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
- W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches (Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1903)
In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois published a remarkable book that furthered nearly a decade of research and advocacy in history, economics and sociology but that in intent and form broke with the usual forms of those disciplines – and has since become foundational for our understanding of African Americans and Black Studies more generally, especially for its introduction of the concept of the veil and double consciousness in thinking across the colour line. This primary source seminar sets The Souls of Black Folk and Du Bois's career in the context of his earlier work, the ambivalent reception that he received amongst different groups over time, his later work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the recent resurgence of sociological interest in Du Bois. It will raise questions about activism and academic work, the relations between history, economics and sociology – and social and economic justice – and the significance of concepts of science, values in research and empirical methods, thereby providing foundational insights into the ongoing project of decolonising the sciences. A helpful guide to internet-accessible resources is available.
Comparative Psychology
Marta Halina (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
- C. Lloyd Morgan, An Introduction to Comparative Psychology (London: Walter Scott, 1894/1903)
The British psychologist and ethologist, Conwy Lloyd Morgan (1852–1936), is regarded as a key founder of the scientific study of animal minds. In his An Introduction to Comparative Psychology (1894), Morgan states: 'In no case may we interpret an action as the outcome of the exercise of a higher psychical faculty, if it can be interpreted as the outcome of the exercise of one which stands lower in the psychological scale' (p. 53). This now famous (or infamous) statement is known as 'Morgan's Canon' and has been described as 'perhaps the most quoted statement in all of psychology'. What role does Morgan's Canon play in contemporary research on animal minds? Is it justified? How does our understanding and use of the Canon today compare with Morgan's original formulation? In this seminar, we address these questions by examining Morgan's Canon from historical, philosophical, and scientific perspectives.
Tycho Brahe and the Renewal of Astronomy
Emma Perkins (4 seminars, Michaelmas Term)
- Tycho Brahe, Astronomiæ instauratæ mechanica (1598)