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16Philosophy of Science, Political Engagement, and the Cold War: An IntroductionScience & Education 18 (2): 157-160. 2009.
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483State of the Field: Why novel prediction mattersStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 44 (4): 580-589. 2013.There is considerable disagreement about the epistemic value of novel predictive success, i.e. when a scientist predicts an unexpected phenomenon, experiments are conducted, and the prediction proves to be accurate. We survey the field on this question, noting both fully articulated views such as weak and strong predictivism, and more nascent views, such as pluralist reasons for the instrumental value of prediction. By examining the various reasons offered for the value of prediction across a ra…Read more
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163Science in a Democratic Society by Philip Kitcher (review)British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 64 (4). 2013.
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214Pure science and the problem of progressStudies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 46 55-63. 2014.How should we understand scientific progress? Kuhn famously discussed science as its own internally driven venture, structured by paradigms. He also famously had a problem describing progress in science, as problem-solving ability failed to provide a clear rubric across paradigm change—paradigm changes tossed out problems as well as solving them. I argue here that much of Kuhn’s inability to articulate a clear view of scientific progress stems from his focus on pure science and a neglect of appl…Read more
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34Robert Crease and Evan Selinger: The Philosophy of Expertise (review)Philosophy of Science 74 (4): 552-555. 2007.
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110Engagement for progress: applied philosophy of science in contextSynthese 177 (3): 317-335. 2010.Philosophy of science was once a much more socially engaged endeavor, and can be so again. After a look back at philosophy of science in the 1930s-1950s, I turn to discuss the current potential for returning to a more engaged philosophy of science. Although philosophers of science have much to offer scientists and the public, I am skeptical that much can be gained by philosophers importing off-the-shelf discussions from philosophy of science to science and society. Such efforts will likely look …Read more
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820Inductive risk and values in sciencePhilosophy of Science 67 (4): 559-579. 2000.Although epistemic values have become widely accepted as part of scientific reasoning, non-epistemic values have been largely relegated to the "external" parts of science (the selection of hypotheses, restrictions on methodologies, and the use of scientific technologies). I argue that because of inductive risk, or the risk of error, non-epistemic values are required in science wherever non-epistemic consequences of error should be considered. I use examples from dioxin studies to illustrate how …Read more
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Border Skirmishes between Science and PolicyIn Peter K. Machamer & Gereon Wolters (eds.), Science, Values, and Objectivity, University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 220-44. 2004.
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4Inserting the public into scienceIn Sabine Maasen & Peter Weingart (eds.), Democratization of expertise?: exploring novel forms of scientific advice in political decision-making, Springer. pp. 153--169. 2005.
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19Hugh Lacey, _Is Science Value Free?: Values & Scientific Understanding_ . Routledge (1999), xiv + 285 pp., $90.00 (cloth) (review)Philosophy of Science 69 (2): 379-406. 2002.
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218Although a strict dichotomy between facts and values is no longer accepted, less attention has been paid to the roles values should play in our acceptance of factual statements, or scientific descriptive claims. This paper argues that values, whether cognitive or ethical, should never preclude or direct belief on their own. Our wanting something to be true will not make it so. Instead, values should only be used to consider whether the available evidence provides sufficient warrant for a claim. …Read more
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34Book Review Kevin Elliott , Is a Little Pollution Good for You? Oxford: Oxford University Press (2011), 264 pp., $65.00 (review)Philosophy of Science 79 (3): 425-428. 2012.
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734From Tapestry to Loom: Broadening the Perspective on Values in SciencePhilosophy, Theory, and Practice in Biology 10 (8). 2018.After raising some minor philosophical points about Kevin Elliott’s A Tapestry of Values (2017), I argue that we should expand on the themes raised in the book and that philosophers of science need to pay as much attention to the loom of science (i.e., the institutional structures which guide the pursuit of science) as the tapestry of science. The loom of science includes such institutional aspects as patents, funding sources, and evaluation regimes that shape how science gets pursued, and that …Read more
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19Hugh Lacey, Is Science Value Free?: Values & Scientific Understanding. Routledge , xiv + 285 pp., $90.00 (review)Philosophy of Science 69 (2): 386-389. 2002.
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19Bullshit at the interface of science and policy: global warming, toxic substances and other pesky problemsIn Hardcastle Reisch (ed.), Bullshit and Philosophy, Open Court. pp. 213--226. 2006.
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6In Harold Kincaid, John Dupré & Alison Wylie (eds.), Value-Free Science: Ideals and Illusions?, Oxford University Press. pp. 120--141. 2007.
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44Boundaries between Science and PolicyEnvironmental Philosophy 2 (1): 14-29. 2005.In the debate over the role of science in environmental policy, it is often assumed that science can and should be clearly demarcated from policy. In this paper, I will argue that neither is the case. The difficulty of actually differentiating the scientific arena from the policy arena becomes apparent the moment one attempts to actually locate the boundary. For example, it is unclear whether scientific summaries to be used by regulatory agencies are in the realm of science or policy. If science…Read more
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31Rejecting the Ideal of Value-Free ScienceIn Harold Kincaid, John Dupré & Alison Wylie (eds.), Value-Free Science: Ideals and Illusions?, Oxford University Press. pp. 120--141. 2007.
Areas of Specialization
Science, Logic, and Mathematics |
General Philosophy of Science |
Areas of Interest
Science, Logic, and Mathematics |
General Philosophy of Science |