• An African Research Ethics Reader: From the Ground Up (edited book)
    with Ike Iyioke, John-Moses Maduabuchi Uwanduoma, and Tonia Onyeka
    BRILL. 2024.
    Afro-cultural research ethics is in a nascent phase within the field of research ethics as a whole and requires more attention and in-depth articulation. With specific case studies, this vital volume provides unique perspectives on topics such as social autonomy vis-a-vis interests of individuals.
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    One way to articulate the promise of interdisciplinary research is in terms of the relationship between knowledge and ignorance. Disciplinary research yields deep knowledge of a circumscribed range of issues, but remains ignorant of those issues that stretch outside its purview. Because complex problems such as climate change do not respect disciplinary boundaries, disciplinary research responses to such problems are limited and partial. Interdisciplinary research responses, by contrast, integra…Read more
  •  98
    On the nature of cross-disciplinary integration: A philosophical framework
    Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 56 (C): 62-70. 2016.
    Meeting grand challenges requires responses that constructively combine multiple forms of expertise, both academic and non-academic; that is, it requires cross-disciplinary integration. But just what is cross-disciplinary integration? In this paper, we supply a preliminary answer by reviewing prominent accounts of cross-disciplinary integration from two literatures that are rarely brought together: cross-disciplinarity and philosophy of biology. Reflecting on similarities and differences in thes…Read more
  •  7
    Counterfactuals in economics: a commentary
    with Joseph Keim Campbell and Harry S. Silverstein
    In Joseph Keim Campbell, Michael O'Rourke & Harry S. Silverstein (eds.), Causation and Explanation, . 2007.
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    Professionals in environmental fields engage with complex problems that involve stakeholders with different values, different forms of knowledge, and contentious decisions. There is increasing recognition of the need to train graduate students in interdisciplinary environmental science programs in these issues, which we refer to as “social ethics.” A literature review revealed topics and skills that should be included in such training, as well as potential challenges and barriers. From this revi…Read more
  •  25
    A New Method for a Virtue-Based Responsible Conduct of Research Curriculum: Pilot Test Results
    with Eric Berling, Chet McLeskey, and Robert T. Pennock
    Science and Engineering Ethics 25 (3): 899-910. 2019.
    Drawing on Pennock’s theory of scientific virtues, we are developing an alternative curriculum for training scientists in the responsible conduct of research that emphasizes internal values rather than externally imposed rules. This approach focuses on the virtuous characteristics of scientists that lead to responsible and exemplary behavior. We have been pilot-testing one element of such a virtue-based approach to RCR training by conducting dialogue sessions, modeled upon the approach developed…Read more
  •  44
    The scope argument
    Journal of Philosophy 100 (3). 2003.
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    Using Bibliometrics to Support the Facilitation of Cross-Disciplinary Communication
    with Christopher J. Williams, Sanford D. Eigenbrode, Ian O'Loughlin, and Stephen Crowley
    Journal of the American Society for Information Science 64 (9): 1768-1779. 2013.
    Given the importance of cross-disciplinary research, facilitating CDR effectiveness is a priority for many institutions and funding agencies. There are a number of CDR types, however, and the effectiveness of facilitation efforts will require sensitivity to that diversity. This article presents a method characterizing a spectrum of CDR designed to inform facilitation efforts that relies on bibliometric techniques and citation data. We illustrate its use by the Toolbox Project, an ongoing effort …Read more
  •  109
    Action, Ethics and Responsibility: Topics in Contemporary Philosophy, Vol. 7 (edited book)
    with J. Campbell and H. Silverstein
    MIT Press. 2010.
    Overview Most philosophical explorations of responsibility discuss the topic solely in terms of metaphysics and the "free will" problem. By contrast, these essays by leading philosophers view responsibility from a variety of perspectives—metaphysics, ethics, action theory, and the philosophy of law. After a broad, framing introduction by the volume's editors, the contributors consider such subjects as responsibility as it relates to the "free will" problem; the relation between responsibility an…Read more
  •  12
    The Toolbox Dialogue Initiative: The Power of Cross-Disciplinary Practice (edited book)
    with Graham Hubbs and Steven Hecht Orzack
    CRC Press. 2020.
    Cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration is emerging as standard operating procedure for many scholarly research enterprises. And yet, the skill set needed for effective collaboration is neither taught nor mentored. The goal of the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative is to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration. This book, inspired by this initiative, presents dialogue-based methods designed to increase mutual understanding among collaborators so as to enhance the quality and productivity of cro…Read more
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    Cross-disciplinary research as a platform for philosophical research
    Journal of the American Philosophical Association 2 (2): 344-363. 2016.
    It is argued that core areas of philosophy can benefit from reflection on cross-disciplinary research (CDR). We start by giving a brief account of CDR, describing its variability and some of the ways in which philosophers can interact with it. We then provide an argument in principle for the conclusion that CDR is philosophically fecund, arguing that since CDR highlights fundamental differences among disciplinary research worldviews, it can be used to motivate new philosophical problems and supp…Read more
  •  47
    Reference and Referring: Topics in Contemporary Philosophy, Volume 10 (edited book)
    with Bill Kabasenche and Matthew Slater
    MIT Press. 2012.
    These fifteen original essays address the core semantic concepts of reference and referring from both philosophical and linguistic perspectives. After an introductory essay that casts current trends in reference and referring in terms of an ongoing dialogue between Fregean and Russellian approaches, the book addresses specific topics, balancing breadth of coverage with thematic unity. The contributors, all leading or emerging scholars, address trenchant neo-Fregean challenges to the direct refer…Read more
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    Coupled Ethical-Epistemic Analysis as a Tool for Environmental Science
    Ethics, Policy and Environment 22 (3): 267-286. 2019.
    This paper presents a new model for how to jointly analyze the ethical and evidentiary dimensions of environmental science cases, with an eye toward making science more participatory and publically...
  •  66
    This paper contributes to the underdeveloped field of experimental philosophy of science. We examine variability in the philosophical views of scientists. Using data from Toolbox Dialogue Initiative, we analyze scientists’ responses to prompts on philosophical issues (methodology, confirmation, values, reality, reductionism, and motivation for scientific research) to assess variance in the philosophical views of physical scientists, life scientists, and social and behavioral scientists. We find …Read more
  •  11
    Knowledge and Skepticism (edited book)
    with Joseph Keim Campbell and Harry S. Silverstein
    Mit Press. 2010.
    New essays by leading philosophers explore topics in epistemology, offering both contemporary philosophical analysis and historical perspectives. There are two main questions in epistemology: What is knowledge? And: Do we have any of it? The first question asks after the nature of a concept; the second involves grappling with the skeptic, who believes that no one knows anything. This collection of original essays addresses the themes of knowledge and skepticism, offering both contemporary episte…Read more
  •  14
    Professionals in environmental fields engage with complex problems that involve stakeholders with different values, different forms of knowledge, and contentious decisions. There is increasing recognition of the need to train graduate students in interdisciplinary environmental science programs in these issues, which we refer to as “social ethics.” A literature review revealed topics and skills that should be included in such training, as well as potential challenges and barriers. From this revi…Read more
  •  20
    Humanistic Values and the Values of Humanities in Interdisciplinary Research
    with Brian Robinson, Stephanie Vasko, Chad Gonnerman, Markus Christen, and Daniel Steel
    Cogent Arts and Humanities 3 1123080. 2016.
    Research integrating the perspectives of different disciplines, or interdisciplinary research, has become increasingly common in academia and is considered important for its ability to address complex questions and problems. This mode of research aims to leverage differences among disciplines in generating a more complex understanding of the research landscape. To interact successfully with other disciplines, researchers must appreciate their differences, and this requires recognizing how the re…Read more
  •  1
    Reflexivity is a complex phenomenon. In this chapter, we are primarily interested in reflexivity insofar as it is a process of discovering for oneself and one’s audiences the perspectival features (e.g., background assumptions, social positions, and biases) that shape one’s judgments, decisions, and behaviors. So understood, reflexivity isn’t always a good idea. Sometimes thinking can get in the way of doing. (Downhill ski racing springs to mind.) But for some activities, such as action research…Read more
  •  83
    This article examines the relevance of survey data of scientists’ attitudes about science and values to case studies in philosophy of science. We describe two methodological challenges confronting such case studies: 1) small samples, and 2) potential for bias in selection, emphasis, and interpretation. Examples are given to illustrate that these challenges can arise for case studies in the science and values literature. We propose that these challenges can be mitigated through an approach in whi…Read more
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    Developing a Scientific Virtue-Based Approach to Science Ethics Training
    with Robert T. Pennock
    Science and Engineering Ethics 23 (1): 243-262. 2017.
    Responsible conduct of research training typically includes only a subset of the issues that ought to be included in science ethics and sometimes makes ethics appear to be a set of externally imposed rules rather than something intrinsic to scientific practice. A new approach to science ethics training based upon Pennock’s notion of the scientific virtues may help avoid such problems. This paper motivates and describes three implementations—theory-centered, exemplar-centered, and concept-centere…Read more
  •  99
    In this article we argue that philosophy can facilitate improvement in cross-disciplinary science. In particular, we discuss in detail the Toolbox Project, an effort in applied epistemology that deploys philosophical analysis for the purpose of enhancing collaborative, cross-disciplinary scientific research through improvements in cross-disciplinary communication. We begin by sketching the scientific context within which the Toolbox Project operates, a context that features a growing interest in…Read more
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    Action, Ethics and Responsibility (edited book)
    with Joseph Keim Campbell and Harry Silverstein
    MIT Press. 2010.
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    Time and Identity (edited book)
    with Joseph Keim Campbell and Harry S. Silverstein
    Bradford. 2010.
    The concepts of time and identity seem at once unproblematic and frustratingly difficult. Time is an intricate part of our experience -- it would seem that the passage of time is a prerequisite for having any experience at all -- and yet recalcitrant questions about time remain. Is time real? Does time flow? Do past and future moments exist? Philosophers face similarly stubborn questions about identity, particularly about the persistence of identical entities through change. Indeed, questions ab…Read more
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    In Defense of Common Content
    Philosophical Papers 29 (3): 159-188. 2000.
    Abstract In this essay, I critically discuss a theory of utterance content and de re communication that Anne Bezuidenhout has recently developed in a series of articles. This theory regards the significance of utterances as more pragmatic in nature than allowed by traditional accounts; further, it downplays logical considerations in explaining de re communication, choosing instead to emphasize its psychological character. Included among the implications of this approach is the rejection of what …Read more