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SCIENCE STUDIES EVENTS CALENDAR
At some of the meetings of the Science Studies Group, one or two members of the group introduce themselves by describing their past and current interests and researches as they might relate to some aspect of the history or philosophy of science, medicine, and technology and their social contexts. Other meetings involve lectures, panel-discussions or round-tables on various special topics. We will also continue our exploration of issues regarding complexity and scale. Feel free to suggest topics for discussion to Otávio Bueno or Davis Baird. To request readings or to confirm meeting times and places: Otávio Bueno, Philosophy Department, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, Tel. 803-777-7418, Fax 803-777-9178. Contents of present page: Watch for regular updates of these calendars. Please share this information with anyone who might be interested. Previous Calendars: 2001/2002 | 2000/2001 | 1999/2000 See also the current schedule of Nano Culture Seminars and Conferences.
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NIRT Workshop: Reading Nanoscience | |
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New Beginnings — Planning session for 2002/2003, Welcome to Otávio Bueno, new faculty member of the Philosophy Department, new convener of the Science Studies Group. |
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Nano Visions: Microscopy Cathy Murphy and Micky Myrick (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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Cultures of Interpretation: Problems and Visions in the Anthropology of Science Christopher Toumey (Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina) |
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Biological Aspects of Self-Assembly Loren Knapp (Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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The Expert's Role in Nanotechnology Ed Munn Sanchez (Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series and the Philosophy Department's Research Seminar Series. |
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A Structural Perspective on Theoretical Explanation Alirio Rosales (School of Philosophy, Central University of Venezuela) |
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How to Be an Empiricist Otávio Bueno (Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina) This talk is also part of the Philosophy Department's Research Seminar Series. |
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The Idea of a Post-Normal Science Roger Strand (Center for the Studies of the Sciences and Humanities, University of Bergen, Norway) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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ELSA Studies of Nano-Science: Methodological and Pragmatic Aspects Roger Strand (Center for the Studies of the Sciences and Humanities, University of Bergen, Norway) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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A Defeasible Reasoning Model of Scientific Change Claudio Delrieux (Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahia Blanca, Argentina) |
SPRING AND SUMMER 2003
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A Systems Approach to Nanoscience Thinking and Communication:
Linguistic Problems and Opportunities Jonathan Fletcher (NanoCenter, USC Columbia) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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Models of Science and Humanities Collaboration Christopher Preston (Philosophy, USC Columbia) |
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How Planets Move and Populations Grow:
Mathematics in Population Ecology Mark Colyvan (Philosophy, University of Queensland, and Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology) and Lev Ginzburg (Ecology and Evolution, SUNY Stony Brook) |
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Laws, Symmetries and Reality Jeeva Anandan (Physics and Astronomy, USC Columbia) |
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Modes of Legal Regulation: Implications for Nanotechnology Robin Fretwell Wilson (Law, USC Columbia) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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The Darker Side of 21st Century Biology Donald Henderson (Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, Johns Hopkins) |
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Sinking Forts, Sliding Lighthouses: Antebellum Engineering Failures Ann Johnson (History, Fordham) |
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NIRT Conference:
Discovering the Nanoscale Sponsored by University of South Carolina and Technische Universität Darmstadt |
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Nancy Cartwright's Hermeneutics of Science and Nature Alfred Nordmann (Philosophy, Technical University of Darmstadt and USC Columbia) This talk is also part of the Philosophy Department's Research Seminar Series. |
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Formal Limitations in Economic Theory and Alternative Set Theories:
A Preliminary Survey Fernando Tohmé (Economics, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Argentina and UC Berkeley) |
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Interdisciplinarity versus Reductionism: An Analysis of Four Debates
in the 19th Century Life Sciences Joachim Schummer (Philosophy, USC Columbia) |
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Visualizing Nanotechnology Chris Robinson (Art, USC Columbia) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
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Modeling, Representation, and Implementation R.I.G. Hughes (Philosophy, USC Columbia) This talk is also part of the Nano Culture Seminar Series. |
OTHER PLANS AND POSSIBLE TOPICS
The following are proposed possible topics for discussion.
This open-ended list indicates the wide range of appropriate subject matters.
Hopefully it will encourage you to lead a discussion on one of these
topics or anything of similar interest and relevance to science studies:
- A fairly recent Science or Nature-editorial on "The (Political) Science of Salt" (what went wrong regarding the "established" causal link between blood-pressure and salt?)
- A presentation on chronobiology: Time-scales in biology and medical research.
- How are facts established, for example the "fact" that birds evolved from dinosaurs?
- Learning from nature? Can complex natural systems serve as blueprints for re-engineering economy?
- The Mammoth and the Mouse: Questions of scale in (micro-)history and/or political geography.
- Are there Laws in Biology or in any of the sciences? Why are scientists talking about "laws" at all, why don't they limit themselves to terms like generalization, theory, equation, principle, axiom, etc.? Is this merely a semantic issue of no consequence to science? Or do scientists become philosophers when they refer to laws?
- A discussion of Steve Weinberg's article "Can Science Explain Everything? Anything?" in the New York Review of Books (May 31, 2001)
- A presentation by George Khushf (Philosophy, Center for Bioethics) on Hans Driesch's Argument for Developmental Complexity in Contemporary Contexts.
- Ian Hacking's The Social Construction of What or T.M. Luhrmann's Of Two Minds: The Growing Disorder in American Psychiatry.
- Are there ever any jokes, anecdotes, hidden references in scientific articles? Is it hard sometimes even for peers to figure out what the author means? A collation of examples ...
- Or you may have read in the newspaper that the universe really is flat — as if issues of geometry could be decided empirically (how did that go)?
- A presentation by Jerry Hackett (Philosophy) on the Rhetoric and Reality of Experiment (before and up to Newton)
- A discussion of (and with?) Stuart Kauffman (Santa Fe Institute and University of Pennsylvania; author of Origins of Order, At Home in the Universe, and Investigations): Co-constructing the Biosphere: Complexity and the Possibility of General Laws for Open Thermodynamic Systems.
- Physicist Julian Barbour's recent book on The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics.
- A text that questions or defends the value of Science Studies (for example the introduction of Bruno Latour's Pandora's Hope).
- A closer look at "borderline research," controversial practices, concepts, and theories such as "therapeutic touch," "the memory of water," "the placebo effect," "genes and memes," "environmental illness," "parapsychology."
- Discussions with new members of the Science Studies Group — on the use of constructivist conceptions of science in middle school science education, on science and creationism, the (re)construction of the Rhine River post-war Germany, etc.
- An informal panel conversation about a paper by Michelle Murphy: "The 'Elsewhere within Here' and Environmental Illness; or, How to Build Yourself a Body in a Safe Space." According to clinical ecology and in contrast to toxicological tenets, "reactions [are] not specific to the chemical and general to the human body, but rather nonspecific to the chemical and individual to the body," i.e., specific to the individual body. How might this affect our understanding of the body and of disease? [This panel discussion may be preceded or followed by a screening of Todd Haynes's excellent film [Safe] starring Julianne Moore.]
- ... and whatever you propose.
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Last updated 4/8/08 10:33 PM
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burke@sc.edu
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