Again this year, Rotman Institute faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and alumni are presenting on a number of topics at the biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA). The conference takes place from November 2 – 6, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. Beyond presenting papers, Institute members are also presenting research posters related [...]
This post is the first in our weekly series of interviews with the Rotman Institute's postdoctoral fellows. These interviews are accessible introductions to the scholarship and to the service done by each postdoc. Rotman postdocs are a vital part of the life of the Institute and we hope that these interviews will give our readers a sense of the [...]
Two years ago, this blog featured a series of posts about how the history and philosophy of science (HPS) can contribute to science education:Broadening the goals of science education, by Reuven Brandt,Improving scientific literacy through improved critical thinking skills, by Melissa Jacquart, How to include HPS in science education standards?, by myself, andWhat must be done [...]
We will be discussing issues concerning embodied and situated accounts of cognition. The plan is to begin with Larry Shapiro's recent book "Embodied Cognition" (2011), following which we will look at other key work in this general area. Shapiro's book offers a good starting point providing the most detailed and up to date overview of [...]
Causal Powers in Science: Blending Historical and Conceptual Perspectives Each year the Rotman Summer Institute brings graduate students together with exceptional faculty from around the world to focus on a topic of special interest where philosophy and science meet and interact. This year’s Institute brings together philosophers of science and metaphysicians with historians of philosophy [...]
By Martin Vezér Since 2001, the Institute Vienna Circle (IVC), the University of Vienna, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research have held a summer university program focusing on topics in the philosophy of natural and social sciences. This past July, I attended the Vienna International Summer University (VISU)—a program that brought together an international group of professors [...]
BU Conference: “How HPS can contribute to science education” 5/5 The effort to incorporate HPS into K-12 science curricula will require substantial support from the scholarly community. Anyone who has ever taught knows that teachers have hardly a minute to spare. Teaching is mentally and physically challenging and teachers are constantly forced to do more [...]
BU Conference: “How HPS can contribute to science education” 4/5 Defining what place HPS should take in official guidelines is not an easy task. But it is of primary importance, and academics have a role to play in it. In the context of U.S. primary and secondary education, a national framework (pdf) provides guidelines [...]
BU Conference: “How HPS can contribute to science education” 3/5 On the second day of the conference, I attended the working group session aimed at addressing the question, "How can history and philosophy of science contribute to students’ understanding of science, as well as help create scientific literate citizens?" The discussion focused on how K-12 programs [...]
BU Conference: "How HPS can contribute to science education" 2/5 The breakout meeting I attended focused on how HPS might be used to improve science education in the areas of : ethics of science, the role of science in a democratic society, and the evaluation of scientific evidence. By finding ways to include these topics [...]
