Holly K. Andersen, Simon Fraser University, Philosophy
Dana Matthiessen, University of Minnesota, Center for the Philosophy of Science
Dzintra Ullis, University of Pittsburgh, HPS
Location: Center for Philosophy of Science, Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh
Measurement is a central activity in the acquisition of scientific knowledge. With increasing attention to scientific practice, there is renewed interest determining what contributes to the reliability of measurement, its accuracy, and precision. The epistemology and metaphysics of measurement raise fundamental questions about the relationship between scientific theories and models, human actions, and the natural world. These include:
1. The representational and informational character of measurements (What do they measure?)
2. The evaluation of measurement outcomes (How should we assess the validity or reliability of a measurement process?)
3. The objectivity of measurements (How is the measurement process guided by theory? How is it independent? What are the implications for the status of measurement as evidence?)
This workshop will explore how a philosophically pragmatist epistemology and metaphysics addresses these questions, and how pragmatist frameworks might transform our understanding of the character and constituents of successful scientific measurement.
Join us for the launch of John D. Norton’s The Large-Scale Structure of Inductive Inference, the second volume in BSPS Open, the diamond open access collection of the BSPS and Calgary University Press. You can download the pdf here or buy your printed copy anywhere:
The meeting will take place on Zoom on December 4, 11.00 Pittsburgh, 17h CET, with a brief discussion between John Norton and Job De Grefte (Groningen) about the book, chaired by Helen Beebee (Leeds) and David Teira (UNED)
We invite contributions to our workshop on using large language models (LLMs) in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science (HPSS). The workshop will focus on exploring use cases and proposals for how, and to what extent, LLMs might help overcome long-standing challenges in studies of how science works. The event will take place from April 2–4, 2025, at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Attendance (online and on site) will be free and open to the public but registration will be required. To contribute a talk, please submit abstracts of 300–600 words by December 31, 2024, to arno.simons@tu-berlin.de
April 2-4, 2025, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Organized by: Gerd Graßhoff, Arno Simons, Adrian Wüthrich, and Michael Zichert more info...
The second Pittsburgh workshop on philosophy of particle and high energy physics will be held at the Center for Philosophy of Science on 15th-16th February 2025. The theme is construed broadly to include cosmology, astrophysics, quantum gravity and quantum field theory insofar as they overlap with issues in high-energy physics.
Organizing committee
Marian Gilton
David Wallace
Porter Williams
Confirmed Speakers
James Fraser
Marian Gilton
Adam Koberinski
Siddharth Muthukrishnan
Laura Ruetsche
Chris Smeenk
David Wallace
Porter Williams
Call for Papers – The deadline for submissions is September 30th at midnight. Please send all submissions to phep2025@gmail.com.
Measurement is a central activity in the acquisition of scientific knowledge. With increasing attention to scientific practice, there is renewed interest determining what contributes to the reliability of measurement, its accuracy, and precision. The epistemology and metaphysics of measurement raise fundamental questions about the relationship between scientific theories and models, human actions, and the natural world. These include:
1. The representational and informational character of measurements (What do they measure?)
2. The evaluation of measurement outcomes (How should we assess the validity or reliability of a measurement process?)
3. The objectivity of measurements (How is the measurement process guided by theory? How is it independent? What are the implications for the status of measurement as evidence?)
This workshop will explore how a philosophically pragmatist epistemology and metaphysics addresses these questions, and how pragmatist frameworks might transform our understanding of the character and constituents of successful scientific measurement.
The workshop investigates the complex relationship between scientific pluralism, epistemic diversity and scientific progress, both theoretically and through the examination of case studies. more info...
We invite contributions to our workshop on using large language models (LLMs) in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science (HPSS). The workshop will focus on exploring use cases and proposals for how, and to what extent, LLMs might help overcome long-standing challenges in studies of how science works. The event will take place from April 2–4, 2025, at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Attendance (online and on site) will be free and open to the public but registration will be required. To contribute a talk, please submit abstracts of 300–600 words by December 31, 2024, to arno.simons@tu-berlin.de
April 2-4, 2025, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Organized by: Gerd Graßhoff, Arno Simons, Adrian Wüthrich, and Michael Zichert more info...
Paper submissions are invited for the special issue of Topoi entitled: Rethinking Human-Centredness: Bridging Environmental and AI Ethical Discourses. In the face of pressing issues such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, AI-driven surveillance, biases embedded in machine learning algorithms, the special issue aims to critically examine the concept of human-centeredness in the field of applied ethics and from both historical and systematic perspectives (see the details for more about issue description and topics).
Special issue article publications often bring higher citations and visibility than regular papers and attract more relevant readership due to its scope. Topoi is indexed in the Web of Science under AHCI, currently in Quartile 1 and placed in the top-10 ranked Philosophy-Category journals, with a 2023 IF of 1,3 and CiteScore of 3,1.
April 5, 2025 @ 8:00 am - April 6, 2025 @ 5:00 pm EDT
Senior Visiting Fellow Conference by Carl Hoefer
The evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement began in the 1980s, reached its peak perhaps in the 1990s, and has since then enjoyed the status of orthodoxy, despite many criticisms being raised among medical practitioners and researchers. Philosophers of medicine have frequently criticized EBM’s hierarchies and rigid precepts, especially the “gold standard” status of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A pluralistic approach to evidence in medicine has been increasingly popular in recent years, in which mechanistic evidence and reasoning, observational studies of many kinds and RCTs are assessed for value on a case-by-case basis. But does this trend away from the EBM hierarchy go too far and risk the reintroduction of the same biased, motivated evidence-gathering practices that originally motivated the EBM movement? What light can recent experiences in medicine and public health (e.g., during the covid-19 pandemic) shed on these issues?
The evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement began in the 1980s, reached its peak perhaps in the 1990s, and has since then enjoyed the status of orthodoxy, despite many criticisms being raised among medical practitioners and researchers. Philosophers of medicine have frequently criticized EBM’s hierarchies and rigid precepts, especially the “gold standard” status of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A pluralistic approach to evidence in medicine has been increasingly popular in recent years, in which mechanistic evidence and reasoning, observational studies of many kinds and RCTs are assessed for value on a case-by-case basis. But does this trend away from the EBM hierarchy go too far and risk the reintroduction of the same biased, motivated evidence-gathering practices that originally motivated the EBM movement? What light can recent experiences in medicine and public health (e.g., during the covid-19 pandemic) shed on these issues?