The news section of the German Society for Philosophy of Science (GWP)

CfA: MCMP Summer School in Mathematical Philosophy for Female Students (LMU Munich, July 28 – August 3, 2019, Application Deadline: March 17, 2019)

Submitted by Neil Dewar (MCMP, LMU Munich).

 

The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy is organising the sixth edition of the

Summer School on Mathematical Philosophy for Female Students

Taking place from 28th July to 3rd August 2019, and invites applications until 17th March 2019.

PROGRAM
===============

This year, we will have the following lecture streams:

1. “Formal epistemology”, led by Anna-Maria Asunta Eder (University of Cologne)
2. “Barriers to Entailment”, led by Gillian Russell (UNC Chapel Hill)
3. “Philosophy of Algorithms and Simulations”, led by Lena Zuchowski (University of Bristol)

For more information about the program, please consult the summer school website at http://www.mathsummer.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/index.html. If you have any further questions about the summer school, please contact the organising committee at mathsummer2019@lrz.uni-muenchen.de.

APPLICATION
===============

The summer school is open to women with a keen interest in mathematical philosophy. Applicants should be students of philosophy (or philosophically minded logicians or scientists) at an advanced undergraduate level, in a master program, or at an early PhD level. To apply for participation, please see the instructions at http://www.mathsummer.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/call-for-application: you will need to provide a copy of your CV and a statement of purpose as part of the application. There will be an opportunity for some of the students at the summer school to present their own research; if you would be interested in doing so, please also provide an abstract (up to 500 words) together with your application.

The deadline for applications is 17th March 2019. Decisions will be made by 1st April 2019.

The participation fee is 200EUR. (Note that the participation fee does not cover accommodation expenses.) The language of all events will be English.

CfA: Reading Seminar and Conference: Agency, Past and Future (University of Hamburg, July 15-17 and 17-20, 2019)

Submitted by Florian Fischer (University of Siegen).

 

Call for participation:

Reading seminar ‘Agency, Past and Future’ — July 15–17, 2019 — University of Hamburg

This summer there will take place at the University of Hamburg, on July 15–17, a reading seminar on the topic ‘Agency Past and Future’. The seminar is aimed at graduate students and early career researchers in philosophy, and will focus on questions of agency and freedom, of temporal asymmetry, and their connections. The seminar will be spread over three days during which we will look at some key historical and contemporary texts addressing these themes. The plan for discussion is:

  • Day 1: The logic of future contingents in Aristotle and Ockham. Discussion led by Calvin Normore (UCLA) and Magali Roques (Hamburg).
  • Day 2: Decision, freedom, and reasoning about the future. Discussion led by Alison Fernandes (Trinity College Dublin).
  • Day 3: Grounding and the open future. Discussion led by Roberto Loss (Hamburg).

The reading seminar will be followed by the conference, ‘Agency, Past and Future’, July 18–20, also at the University of Hamburg. See below for abstract and speaker list:

Agency, Past and Future (conference)

We feel that there is a fundamental difference between the past and the future. The past seems to us fixed and settled, whereas the future is open and up for grabs. This sense of an asymmetry grips us most strongly in our capacity as agents: we think of ourselves as capable of settling how thing ago in the future, whereas the past is something we have to come to terms with and accept. How should we understand this phenomenon? Is there an absolute metaphysical difference between the past and future, or is any apparent difference rather a product of our perspective as agents? How, if at all, does our sense of the difference between past and future relate to the directionality of causation, and to our status as causal beings? And how does this asymmetry structure practical rationality and deliberation? This conference aims to bring together a variety of approaches to these questions, uniting common themes from the history of philosophy, the philosophy of time and causation, and the philosophy of action.

Speaker list:

  • Simona Aimar (UCL)
  • Julian Bacharach (UCL)
  • Alison Fernandes (Trinity College Dublin)
  • Florian Fischer (Bonn/Siegen)
  • Jennifer Hornsby (Birkbeck)
  • Julia Jorati (Ohio)
  • Roberto Loss (Hamburg)
  • Erasmus Mayr (Nürnberg-Erlagen)
  • Anne Sophie Meincke (Southampton)
  • D. H. Mellor (Cambridge)
  • Calvin Normore (UCLA)
  • L. A. Paul (Yale)
  • Thomas Pink (King’s College London)
  • Sebastian Rödl (Leipzig)
  • Magali Roques (Hamburg)
  • Antje Rumberg (Konstanz)
  • Stephan Schmid (Hamburg)
  • Michael Thompson (Pittsburgh)

Registration for both the seminar and conference is free, although regrettably we are unable to cover participants’ travel and accommodation expenses.

A list of affordable hotels near the venue and more information on the summer school will be posted on the website: https://s-p-o-t.weebly.com/agency-past-and-future.html

To register for the seminar, please send a letter of motivation and a CV to all of julian.bacharach.13@ucl.ac.uk, magali.roques@gmail.com, and Florian.Fischer@uni-siegen.de.

Organised by Magali Roques (Hamburg), Florian Fischer (Bonn/Siegen), and Julian Bacharach (UCL).

The seminar and conference are organised by the Society for Philosophy of Time (www.spotime.org), and generously supported by a grant from the Fritz-Thyssen Stiftung.

CfA: W3-Professur für Philosophie der Wissenschaften (Universität Heidelberg, Deadline: Februar 28, 2019)

Submitted by Tobias Dangel (University of Heidelberg).

 

An der Philosophischen Fakultät der Universität Heidelberg ist zum 01.10.2020 die

W3-Professur für Philosophie der Wissenschaften
(Nachfolge Prof. Dr. Peter McLaughlin)

wiederzubesetzen. Die Professur partizipiert an den vorhandenen Institutsressourcen. Von den Bewerber/innen (m/w/d) werden durch Publikationen ausgewiesene Schwerpunkte in der Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Neuzeit und Gegenwart sowie die Vertrautheit mit einer Epoche der Philosophiegeschichte erwartet. Erwünscht sind Erfahrungen in der Kooperation mit Naturwissenschaftler/innen.

Voraussetzung für die Bewerbung ist ein abgeschlossenes Hochschulstudium, Promotion sowie nach § 47 Abs. 2 des Landeshochschulgesetzes Baden-Württemberg die Habilitation, eine erfolgreich evaluierte Juniorprofessur oder eine vergleichbare Qualifikation.

Die Universität Heidelberg strebt einen höheren Anteil von Frauen in den Bereichen an, in denen sie bisher unterrepräsentiert sind. Qualifizierte Wissenschaftlerinnen werden besonders um ihre Bewerbung gebeten. Schwerbehinderte werden bei gleicher Qualifikation und Eignung bevorzugt.

Bewerbungsschluss ist der 28.02.2019. Bitte senden Sie Ihre Bewerbung mit den üblichen Unterlagen (Motivationsschreiben, Lebenslauf/ wissenschaftlicher Werdegang, Schriften- und Lehrverzeichnis) elektronisch zusammengefasst zu einer pdf-Datei an den Dekan der Philosophischen Fakultät, Universität Heidelberg, Voßstr. 2, Geb. 37, 69115 Heidelberg, E-Mail: philosophische.fakultaet@uni-heidelberg.de.

English Version

The Faculty of Philosophy at Heidelberg University invites applications for a

(W 3)-Professorship in Philosophy of Science
(successor to Prof. Dr. Peter McLaughlin),

available as of 1 October 2020. The professorship is funded by department resources. Applicants are expected to have a research focus on the philosophy of science and modern and contemporary history of science as evidenced by their publications. They are also expected to have a familiarity with one period in the history of philosophy. Experience in cooperating with scientists is highly desirable.

Prerequisites for the application are a university degree, a doctoral degree and either a habilitation, a successfully evaluated junior professorship or a comparable qualification, in accordance with § 47 (2) of the Landeshochschulgesetz Baden-Württemberg (the Baden-Württemberg State Higher Education Act).

The university aims to increase the number of women in the areas in which they have been underrepresented so far. Qualified female academics are especially encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to disabled applicants who are otherwise equally qualified for the position.

Applications should consist of a letter of motivation, a CV, containing a list of publications, and a list of taught courses, all compiled in a single PDF file. Please send your complete application documents by 2/28/2019 to the Dean of the Philosophy Faculty, Voßstr. 2, Geb. 37, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany; Email: philosophische.fakultaet@uni-heidelberg.de.

CfA: Three Positions as Doctoral/Postdoctoral Research Assistants (Leibniz University Hannover, Deadline: March 15, 2019)

Submitted by Uljana Feest (Leibniz University Hannover).

 

The Institute of Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH), Germany,
invites applications for three positions as

Research Assistants (Doctoral/Postdoctoral)

(Salary Scale 13 TV-L, 65%)

to be appointed by the next possible date. The positions are limited to 4 years.

The positions are based in the interdisciplinary project “Bias and Discrimination in Big Data and Algorithmic Processing – BIAS”, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. This project brings together researchers from philosophy, law and computer science to assess how standards of unbiased attitudes and non-discriminatory practices can be met in big data analysis and algorithm-based decision-making. The positions are attached to the Chairs for Philosophy of the Social Sciences and Social Philosophy (Professor Feest), for Theoretical Philosophy, particularly Philosophy of Science (Professor Frisch), and for Practical Philosophy, particularly Ethics of Science (Professor Hübner), respectively.

Responsibilities and duties
Responsibilities and duties include project-focused philosophical research (within epistemology, philosophy of science, ethics, or political philosophy), as well as administrative tasks. Main topics include:

  • Human bias, implicit bias and machine bias
  • Alternative measures of statistical fairness
  • Types of discrimination and debiasing strategies

Employment conditions
To qualify for the positions, applicants must hold a Master’s or PhD degree in philosophy or HPS (or similar program).
Part-time employment is possible.
As an equal opportunities employer, Leibniz University Hannover intends to promote women and men in the context of statutory requirements. For this reason suitably qualified women are specifically invited to apply. Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preferential treatment.

Applications may be submitted in either English or German. They should contain a cover letter, a CV, diploma copies and a short description of research interests relating to the project (1 page). For further information please contact Professor Feest (feest@philos.uni-hannover.de), Professor Frisch (mathias.frisch@philos.uni-hannover.de), or Professor Hübner (dietmar.huebner@philos.uni-hannover.de).

Please email your application by March 15, 2019 to:
sekretariat@philos.uni-hannover.de

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Institut für Philosophie
Im Moore 21
30167 Hannover

Job ad in German:
https://www.uni-hannover.de/de/universitaet/stellenangebote-arbeit-an-der-uni/jobboerse/detail/luhjobs/2618/

CfP: Salzburg Conference for Young Analytic Philosophy (SOPhiA 2019, Salzburg, September 18-20, 2019, Deadline: May 1, 2019)

Submitted by Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf).

 

CALL FOR PAPERS

Salzburg Conference for Young Analytic Philosophy: SOPhiA 2019

September 18 – 20, 2019
Department of Philosophy (Humanities), University of Salzburg, Austria

Aim:
SOPhiA 2019 provides an opportunity for students and doctoral candidates in philosophy to take a first peek into the philosophical business and to get in touch with prospective or well established philosophers. Contributions in every discipline of philosophy (epistemology, ethics, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, etc.) are welcome. As common in analytic philosophy, contributors should make use of understandable language as well as rational argumentation. In addition to the conference presentations there will also be affiliated workshops on selected topics in analytic philosophy.

Keynote Speakers:
* Hilary Greaves (University of Oxford)
* Philip Kitcher (Columbia University)
* Hannes Leitgeb (University of Munich, MCMP)

Call for papers:
Students and doctoral candidates (pre-doc) in philosophy are encouraged to submit an abstract prepared for double-blind review. We are committed to fostering diversity and equality in our programs. Submissions from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. Abstracts should not exceed 2.000 characters. All submissions should be suitable for a presentation of approximately 20 minutes in length (plus 10 minutes discussion). Please submit your abstract with a biographical note and a short CV attached in a separate document at http://www.sophia-conference.org/ until May 1, 2019. Attendees are asked to register at the same site before the conference. Note that authors may appear as co-authors on multiple submissions, but not more often than once as first author/presenter.

SOPhiA best paper award:
Contributors are also invited to submit a full paper (from 4.000 up to 8.000 words) not including any author or affiliation information. A selection of full papers will be published in KRITERION — Journal of Philosophy. The best contribution will also be awarded with 250 EUR at SOPhiA 2019. Please prepare your full paper according to the guidelines available at http://www.kriterion-journal-of-philosophy.org/ and submit it via e-mail (subject line: SOPhiA 2019) to editor@kriterion-journal-of-philosophy.org. Please note that only full papers in English submitted before the general deadline (May 1, 2019) can be considered for the SOPhiA best paper award and that contributors are not allowed to be first or co-author of more than one paper submitted for the SOPhiA best paper award.

Submission deadline: May 1, 2019
Notification deadline: June 1, 2019
Website: http://sophia-conference.org/

CfA: EPSA Fellowship Scheme: Call for Partners

Submitted by EPSA.

 

Open Call for Institutional Partners

The European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA) is looking for institutional partners to participate as host institutions in its scheme of EPSA Fellowships for junior philosophers working in Central and Eastern Europe. Participating institutions would host a Junior Fellow for approximately one month in the academic year 2019/20, and they would cover their travel, accommodation, and living expenses during that time.

The aim of the scheme is to foster collaboration between philosophers of science working in Eastern Europe with their colleagues in Western Europe. Fellowships are aimed at philosophers of science who have been awarded their PhD no more than five years prior to the application deadline, or who are in their last year of PhD, and who work in one of the following countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The EPSA is organising the fellowships for the third time. Previous rounds of fellowships were made possible due to the generous participation of a number of institutions. Institutions participating in 2019-2020 will include:

The EPSA seeks to broaden the group even further. If your institution would like to join the above and participate in the scheme, please contact raffaella.campaner@unibo.it.

CfP: Replication of Crises: Psychology in Times of Epistemic Upheaval (University of Luebeck, September 19-20, 2019; Deadline: March 17, 2019)

Submitted by Uljana Feest (University of Hannover).

 

Call for Paper:

Replication of Crises: Psychology in Times of Epistemic Upheaval

Psychology might be broken, some skeptics warn (Woolston, 2015). It might even be trapped in a horrible space somewhere between the third and fourth circle of hell (Neuroskeptic, 2012). To say the least, psychology is enduring an age of epistemic upheaval. The name of this hell is “replication crisis”. Having already affected a range of disciplines in the medical and the life sciences, the replication crisis reached psychology in 2011, with a paper on false positive psychology (Simmons, Nelson, & Simonsohn, 2011). Since this time, the crisis has grown (Dominus, 2017). In a replication of 100 experimental and correlational studies published in psychology journals, only thirty-six percent of the results proved replicable (Open Science Collaboration, 2015). Many other major psychological findings could not be replicated, especially in social psychology: from the broadly published effects of ‘power posing’ to some well-known finding on behavioral priming and the famous Marshmallow test.
The reactions within psychology have been vehement but not surprising. Many scientists are calling for more methodological rigor, for stricter statistical approaches that prevent p-hacking, or for the use of a replication-index.

In this workshop, we do not aim to identify new methodological tools to ‘repair’ psychology. Instead, we will place the replication crisis in its scientific, historical and social context. Therefore, we invite psychologists and historians as well as philosophers and sociologists of science to reflect on the epistemic dynamics within the discipline. The workshop will also discuss the effects of this crisis on public debates, on scientific discourses, and on practices of psychological research.

To this end, we welcome theoretical papers as well as historical analyses or specific case studies of (non-)replicable psychological experiments.

Here is an open list of questions we would like to discuss at the workshop:

  • What is the genealogy of the current crisis in the long history of similar problems in psychology?
  • When and why did the idea of replication emerge as an epistemic ideal, under which circumstances did its relevance fluctuate and how did it gain importance in psychology?
  • How do concerns about replication and replicability reflect broader scientific assumptions and ideals of robustness and stability?
  • How does the issue of replication in psychology relate to the situation in other disciplines like medicine, the life sciences, environmental studies, or climate science?
  • How do we as critical scholars deal with the “replication crisis” and with what intentions do we evaluate the focus on this issue in the debate on psychology?
  • Is the ideal of replicability “overrated” (Feest, 2019), because it presupposes an overly formal understanding of scientific research in psychology?
  • Can the replication of data alternatively be understood by theoretical approaches from ‘new materialism’ as a phenomenon of posthumanist performativity (Barad, 2003)?
  • What are the political and cultural contexts of the replication crisis and how does it relate to the debate on ‘alternative facts’ or the rhetoric of a ‘war on science’?
  • How do gender issues play out in the notion of a replication crisis and ideas of “soft” versus “hard” science?
  • Which larger cultural concepts, metaphors, and ideas resonate with this “crisis” discourse?
  • What are instructive case studies of (non-)replication in psychology?

The Workshop will take place on September 19th and 20th in Lübeck. Please send abstracts (300-500 words) to malich@imgwf.uni-luebeck.de by March 17th 2019.

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Eva Barlösius, Uljana Feest & Torsten Wilholt, Leibniz Universität Hannover
  • Ivan Flis, Utrecht University
  • Mario Gollwitzer, LMU München
  • Jill Morawski, Wesleyan University
  • Annette Mülberger, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  • Marcus Munafo, University of Bristol
  • Nicole Nelson, University of Wisconsin–Madison
  • Frieder Paulus, Universität zu Lübeck
  • Simine Vazire, University of California

Literature:

  • Barad, K. (2003). Posthumanist performativity. Toward an understanding of how matter comes to matter. Signs, 28(3), 801-831.
  • Dominus, S. (2017, Oct. 18th 2017). When the Revolution Came for Amy Cuddy. New York Times Magazine.
  • Feest, U. (2019). Why Replication is Overrated. Philosophy of Science (in press).
  • Mülberger, A. (2018). When and why did psychologists start to worry about replication? Paper presented at the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands.
  • Neuroskeptic. (2012). The Nine Circles of Scientific Hell. Perspectives of Psychological Sciences, 7(6). doi:10.1177/1745691612459519
  • Open Science Collaboration. (2015). Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science. Science, 349(6251), 943. doi:10.1126/science.aac4716
  • Simmons, J. P., Nelson, L. D., & Simonsohn, U. (2011). False-Positive Psychology: Undisclosed Flexibility in Data Collection and Analysis Allows Presenting Anything as Significant. Psychological Science, 22(11), 1359-1366.
  • Stam, H. J. (2018). Once more with feeling: The eternal recurrence of the reproducibility crisis in psychology. Paper presented at the European Society for the History of the Human Sciences, Groningen, Netherlands.
  • Sturm, T., & Mülberger, A. (2012). Crisis discussions in psychology—New historical and philosophical perspectives. Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 43, 425-433.
  • Woolston, C. (2015). Online debate erupts to ask: is science broken? Nature, 519(7544). doi:10.1038/519393f

CfA: Summer School “The Metaphysics of Time-Continuum” (September 2-4, 2019, Imperia, Italy; Application Deadline: March 31, 2019)

Submitted by Marcello Garibbo (University of Siegen).

 

Call for Participation — Summer School “The Metaphysics of Time-Continuum”

 

2 — 4 September 2019 / Imperia, Italy

 

The summer school “The Metaphysics of Time-Continuum” addresses the topic of temporal continuity by focusing on three key figures: Aristotle, Kant and Bergson. Their conception of the continuum will be studied in-depth and related to questions in the contemporary philosophy of time. 

 

Lecturers
Tom Crowther (University of Warwick) – Aristotle
Florian Fischer (University of Siegen) – Bergson
Cord Friebe (University of Siegen) – Kant
Marcello Garibbo (University of Siegen) – Kant
Magali Roques (University of Hamburg) – Aristotle
Giulio Piatti (University of Torino) – Bergson
Mark Sinclair (University of Rohampton) – Bergson
 

 

The summer school adjoins the conference „Time-Continuum “ (5-6 September 2019, Imperia, Italy). The conference “The Time-Continuum” focuses on the topic of temporal continuity from the perspective of contemporary philosophy of time. Conference’s contributions will investigate the consequences that different understandings of the continuum may have for issues such as the objectivity of tenses  (A- and B-Theories), the meaning of temporal existence (Eternalism, Presentism, etc.) and the question about the ontological status of processes (in distinction to events).

 

 
Conference Speakers
Silvia De Bianchi (Barcelona)
Tom Crowther (Warwick) 
Florian Fischer (Siegen)
Cord Friebe (Siegen)
Marcello Garibbo (Siegen)
Lukas Benedikt Kraus (Innsbruck)
Gregor Nickel (Siegen)
Francesco Orilia (Macerata)
Magali Roques (Hamburg)
Mark Sinclair (London)
Claudio Tarditi (Torino)
Giuliano Torrengo (Milan)

 

There is no participation fee for the summer school. A list of affordable hotels near the venue and more information on the summer school will be uploaded on the website: https://s-p-o-t.weebly.com/the-metaphysics-of-time-continuum.html

 

There are only limited spots available. To apply please sent a letter of motivation (about 1 page) and a CV to florian.fischer@uni-siegen.de and marcello.garibbo@uni.siegen.de
Deadline: 31 March 2019.

 

Organisation: Cord Friebe (University of Siegen), Florian Fischer (University of Siegen) and Marcello Garibbo (University of Siegen)

The summer school and conference are co-organized by the Society for the Philosophy of Time (https://s-p-o-t.weebly.com), the University of Siegen, the Goethe Institut in Genova, the Theatre Spazio Vuoto and the online journal Philosophy Kitchen (http://philosophykitchen.com/).

CfP: Learning From Empirical Approaches to HPS 2019 (LEAHPS 2019, Hannover, Deadline: January 31, 2019)

Submitted by Thomas Reydon (University of Hannover).

 

Call for Papers

Learning From Empirical Approaches to HPS 2019 (LEAHPS 2019)

July 25 – 27, 2019
Institute of Philosophy & Leibniz Center for Science and Society, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany

https://leahps2019.wordpress.com/com/

In recent years, historians and philosophers of science have taken an empirical turn in their own work, conducting surveys and interviews, embedding themselves in scientific research groups as both observers and participants, designing and conducting new experiments, replicating historically important experiments, and developing computational approaches to questions in the history & philosophy of science. Such approaches connect to the increased attention for scientific practice, where a number of questions concerning methodological and epistemological aspects of scientific inquiry remain open. For instance, how well do the proposed philosophical accounts capture scientific practice? What is the impact of social, cultural, cognitive, and institutional factors on the generation of knowledge and its efficiency? In response to this gap, philosophers of science have begun to utilize empirical and computational methods, aiming to provide more well-grounded and systematic insights into actual behaviors and patterns and more reliable normative accounts of scientific inquiry.

Three exemplary perspectives from which philosophers can gain insights about scientific practice are: (1) philosophers engaging with scientists in the laboratory on theand results. Contributors should address how the methods they use serve philosophical aims and help to answer their research questions. Central questions to be addressed include: What can HPS learn from interviews and surveys? How is “HPS in the lab” different from the sociology of science? Which questions in HPS can be answered using empirical methods? Which cannot? How do empirical methods need to be adapted to answer philosophically relevant questions? What are the benefits and limitations of the various methods in philosophical inquiry? How does HPS relate to, and what can it learn from, what can be called “the science of science” – the study of various aspects of science and its practitioners? And how does expandingmethods and methodologies change the field of HPS?

Invited speakers:

Hanne Andersen (University of Copenhagen)
Colin Allen (University of Pittsburgh)
Sophia Efstathiou (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Uljana Feest (Leibniz Universität Hannover)
Joyce Havstad (Oakland University)
Miles MacLeod (Universiteit Twente)
Lisa Osbeck (University of West Georgia)
Dunja Seselja (Ruhr Universität Bochum & LMU München)
Jessey Wright (Stanford University)

Submission Guidelines:

We have room on the program for ten contributed presentations (30 minutes). Please submit an abstract of no more than 1000 words through EasyChair . The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2019. We strongly encourage researchers who work on the intersection between philosophy and the social and/or natural sciences to apply. Decisions on acceptance will be communicated by mid-March 2019.

Organizing Committee: Nora Hangel (University of Konstanz), Thomas Reydon (Leibniz University Hannover), Torsten Wilholt (Leibniz University Hannover)

Contact: Further inquiries regarding submissions may be addressed to nora.hangel@uni-konstanz.de

Preliminary Program (each of the three days of the conference will focus on one topic and method; the program will include ample time for discussions):

Day 1: “Practicing Philosophy at the Boundary: Philosophy from within Science”.
Sophia Efstathiou (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Joyce C. Havstad (Oakland University)
Jessey Wright (Stanford University).

Day 2: “The Role of Ethnographic Methods in Philosophy of Science: Building a Methodological Framework”.
Hanne Andersen (University of Copenhagen)
Miles MacLeod (Universiteit Twente)
Lisa Osbeck (University of West Georgia)

Day 3: “Philosophy of Experimentation and the Empirical Approach to Agent-based Modeling of Scientific Inquiry”.
Colin Allen (University of Pittsburgh).
Ulijana Feest (Leibniz Universität Hannover)
Dunja Šešelja (Ruhr Universität Bochum, LMU München)

Venue: The conference will be held at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. More information about the venue will follow.

CfA: PhD positions in Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Wiss. Mit­ar­bei­ter/-in, EG 13 TV-H, 65% (Deadline: December 28, 2018)

Submitted by Robert Meunier (University of Kassel).

 

Call for Applications
PhD positions in Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Wiss. Mit­ar­bei­ter/-in (EG 13 TV-H, 65%)

Deadline: 28.12.2018

In the Department of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Institute of Philosophy – Theoretical Philosophy (Prof. Dr. Dr. Kristian Köchy), the following position (position number/Kennziffer: 31901) is to be filled by March 1, 2019:

Research assistant (“wiss. Mitarbeiter/in”, pay grade EG 13 TV-H), fixed-term, part-time (currently 26 hours per week)

This is a part-time position with 65% of the working hours of a full-time employee. It is a fixed term position for initially 24 months in the research project “Forms of Practice, Forms of Knowledge – Method, Notation and the Dynamics of Perspectives in the Life Sciences” (PI Dr. Robert Meunier), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (§ 2 Abs. 2 WissZeitVG). The position offers the possibility to complete a PhD.

The project aims at developing a model of scientific practice in the life sciences that facilitates an understanding of how different forms of research activities generate different forms of scientific knowledge. Based on such a model, scientific change will be reconstructed in terms of complex dynamic relations between research fields. Case studies from developmental biology, evolutionary biology and ecology will be studied (a detailed description of the project is found here: https://www.uni-kassel.de/fb02/en/institute/philosophie/schwerpunkte-projekte/integrative-biophilosophie/epistemologie-der-biowissenschaften.html).

Tasks:

Developing a subproject in the framework of the above-mentioned research project. Assistance in planning and realization of activities in the context of the project (conferences, online representation etc.) and minor administrative tasks. Teaching is not required, but possible by additional appointment if desired. The position offers the possibility for further academic qualification; in particular, the successful candidate may choose to complete a PhD.

Requirements:

University degree in philosophy, history of science or science and technology studies and the desire to complete a PhD degree in philosophy. The candidate is expected to show the ability to work in a team and interest in interdisciplinary collaboration. Demonstrable interest in questions of philosophy of science, history or philosophy of the life sciences, or sociological approaches to the sciences is desirable. Experience with the organization of academic activities or the maintainace of websites are advantageous.

In addition to the usual documents (cover letter, max. 1 page; CV; copies of MA certificate – in case a certificate is not yet available, please provide the contact details of your supervisor), please also send a one-page summary of your master thesis.

For further information please contact Dr. Robert Meunier (robert.meunier@uni-kassel.de)

The protection of your personal data is very important to us, so we will handle your personal data with care. When you submit your application, you allow us to store and use your data in the sense of the Hessian Data Protection Act. Your personal data will be deleted on request.

Application due: 28 December 2018

The University of Kassel is an equal opportunity employer and aims at increasing the proportion of women in research and teaching. Qualified women are therefore expressly invited to apply. In case of equal qualification, applicants with severe disabilitieswill be given preferential consideration.  Please send copies only, as documents cannot be returned and will be destroyed according to data protection regulations. Applications indicating the position number (Kennziffer) should be sent to the President of the University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, Germany, or, in electronic form, to bewerbungen@uni-kassel.de.

The official announcement is found here:

https://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/universitaet/stellenangebote/stellenangebot/post/detail/News/wiss-mitarbeiter-in-eg-13-tv-h-im-fachgebiet-theoretische-philosophie/

CfP: Philosophy of Cosmology (Munich, March 18-20, 2019; Deadline: January 6, 2019)

Submitted by Meinard Kuhlmann (University of Mainz).

 

Call for abstracts for Workshop “Philosophy of Cosmology”, Munich, 18-20 March 2019

The Working Group “Philosophy of Physics” (AGPhil) of the German Physical Society (DPG) invites submissions for its annual workshop. Contributions on any topic in the philosophy of physics are welcome. The workshop takes place 18-20 March 2019 at the Technical University in Munich and will be part of the Annual Meeting of the DPG (http://muenchen19.dpg-tagungen.de/). The AGPhil organizes a small workshop on “Philosophy of Cosmology”. Contributions in this area are especially welcome.

Confirmed speakers so far:

Claus Beisbart (Bern)
Richard Dawid (Stockholm)
Fay Dowker (Imperial College London)
Michela Massimi (Edinburgh)
Casey McCoy (Stockholm)
Stéphanie Ruphy (Lyon 3)

If you would like to present a paper, please submit an abstract of about 200 words by 6 January 2019 (ignore the stated 15 December 2018 abstract submission deadline on the website), using the online-form at https://www.dpg-tagung.de/m19/submission.html?language=en.

As conference fees are not trivial (http://muenchen19.dpg-tagungen.de/registrierung/tagungsgebuehren), speakers who have difficulties paying the conference fees should contact us about possible travel grants.

We look forward to seeing you in Munich!

Meinard Kuhlmann
Radin Dardashti
Christian Wüthrich

CfR: Dark Matter & Modified Gravity Conference (RWTH Aachen University, February 6-8, 2019, Registration Deadline: January 13, 2019)

Submitted by Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen University).

 

CFR: Dark Matter & Modified Gravity Conference

 

Dark Matter & Modified Gravity Conference

6-8 February 2019

Aachen, Germany

Call for Registration (deadline 13 January 2019)

www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/dm-mg

 

The Research Unit “Epistemology of the LHC” invites students and other scholars in philosophy, history and sociology of physics/science, as well as in physics, to register for the conference “Dark Matter & Modified Gravity”, taking place from 6 to 8 February 2019 at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

 

INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON THE UNDERDETERMINATION BETWEEN DARK MATTER & MODIFIED GRAVITY

Astrophysical and cosmological observations as well as explanatory gaps in the Standard Model of particle physics imply the existence of Dark Matter and/or a modification of our theory of space and time. A decision between the Dark Matter (DM) and Modified Gravity (MG) approaches is hampered by problems of underdetermination at different levels and of different kinds. The plethora of Dark Matter and Modified Gravity approaches, and the corresponding underdetermination, even in the light of the vast amount of relevant collider based and astrophysical observations, clearly illustrates the complexity of this scientific problem. On the other hand, the overlap of the collider and astrophysical domains may allow for reducing the underdetermination, thus leading to a simplification of the model landscape. One focus of this conference is Dark Matter searches at the Large Hadron Collider and the connection between LHC results and theories of gravity. We will address the question of different kinds of underdetermination, both in choosing between the two research programs of Dark Matter and Modified Gravity, and also in choosing between different models within each program. In particular, we aim to provide an assessment of the explanatory power and the explanatory gaps of the Dark Matter and Modified Gravity hypotheses, and the extent to which these might reduce the issues of underdetermination.

 

Research topics include, but are not limited to:

-Is a strict conceptual distinction between DM and MG justified? How does this relate to the distinction between matter and spacetime?

-What are the explanatory successes and failures of the DM research programme, and of the MG research programme? Which models of explanation are being employed by the respective programmes, and how do those relate?

-Sociology of the DM-MG debate

-How do data, constraints and explanations at the LHC, in astrophysics and cosmology relate? Could the LHC, in principle, confirm dark matter by itself?

-Virtues and vices of simplified (dark matter) models. Do simplified models explain?

-Hybrid models, fifth forces & exotic theories that are neither MG nor DM

-Connections between dark energy and DM/MG

-Novel predictions, fine-tuning and falsifiability

 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Physics:

Tessa Baker, University of Oxford (UK)

Lasha Berezhiani, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (Germany)

Felix Kahlhoefer, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

Julien Lesgourgues, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

Stacy McGaugh, Case Western Reserve University (USA)

Mordehai Milgrom, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)

Tobias Mistele, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (Germany)

Robert Sanders, University of Groningen (The Netherlands)

Philosophy:

Erik Curiel, Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University (USA)

Michela Massimi, University of Edinburgh (UK)

Niels Martens, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

David Merritt, Rochester Institute of Technology (USA)

Robert Rynasiewicz, Johns Hopkins University (USA)

History:

Jeroen van Dongen, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Jaco de Swart, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

 

Contributing speakers:
Siska de Baerdemaeker, University of Pittsburgh (USA)
Indranil Banik, University of Bonn (Germany)
Nora Mills Boyd, Siena College (USA)
Marc Holman, Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western University (Canada)
Abhishek Kashyap, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (India)
Marcel Pawlowski, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik, Potsdam (Germany)
Manus Visser, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

 

REGISTRATION

The organising committee invites participants from physics and from philosophy, history and sociology of physics/science, as well as anyone else who may be interested. In order to register for this conference, please email your name and affiliation to martens@physik.rwth-aachen.de by 13 January 2019. Registration is free. (Note that the deadline for abstract submissions has passed.)

 

ORGANISATION & CONTACT

This conference is organized by the project “LHC and Gravity” within the interdisciplinary, DFG-funded research unit “Epistemology of the LHC”. For further information, eg. regarding practicalities and the schedule, see the conference website: www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/dm-mg,

or contact the organisers:

-Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen University) martens@physik.rwth-aachen.de

-Dennis Lehmkuhl (University of Bonn) dennis.lehmkuhl@uni-bonn.de

-Michael Krämer (RWTH Aachen University) mkraemer@physik.rwth-aachen.de

-Erhard Scholz (University of Wuppertal) scholz@math.uni-wuppertal.de

-Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo (University of Wuppertal) carreterosahuqu@uni-wuppertal.de

CfR: Abduction and Modelling in Metaphysics. A Series of Events with Timothy Williamson (University of Duesseldorf, December 4-7, 2018)

Submitted by Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf).

 

EVENT SERIES:
December 4, 2018: Public Evening Talk of Timothy Williamson
December 4-5, 2018: Reading Group with Timothy Williamson
December 6-7, 2018: Workshop on Abduction and Modelling in Metaphysics

 

**********

 

WORKSHOP

Abduction and Modelling in Metaphysics

 

Speakers:

  • Helen Beebee (University of Manchester): Peer Disagreement and Scepticism in Metaphysics
  • Stephen Biggs (Iowa State University): Towards an Abduction-based Epistemology of Metaphysics
  • Igor Douven (CNRS, Paris): Putting Prototypes in Place: An Engineering Approach
  • Tim Maudlin (NYU): tba
  • Ilkka Niiniluoto (University of Helsinki): Abductive Arguments for Ontological Realism
  • Gerhard Schurz (University of Duesseldorf): Abduction as a Method of Inductive Metaphysics
  • Meghan Sullivan (University of Notre Dame): Modal Logic and the Methodology of Metaphysics: A Case Study in the Relationship Between Formalism and Abduction
  • Timothy Williamson (University of Oxford): Abduction in Logic and Mathematics

 

Description:

Methodological questions have been in the focus of many recent philosophical debates. The role of thought experiments, the method of cases, intuitions, etc. has been studied intensively within metaphilosophy. This reflective attitude is often considered to be a characteristic feature of philosophical investigation and, hence, it is no surprise that occasionally it results in some kind of self-application. In metaphysics, recent severe criticism of traditional investigations led to quite versatile metametaphysical stances: There is the radical sceptical approach according to which metaphysical studies better dissolve in the corresponding branches of science rather than being performed in an encapsulated way; and there is the other end of the spectrum according to which metaphysics is a self-standing endeavour to be conducted in an a priori fashion. In between are more moderate stances proposing that metaphysical investigation ought to employ both, scientific findings and methods on the one hand, and conceptual analysis and methods of traditional metaphysics on the other. Inductive metaphysics, for example, aims at applying the abductive and modelling methodology of science within metaphysical investigation. Such an approach, however, raises several questions: What does the abductive methodology exactly consist in and what is its epistemic rationale? How are metaphysical models to be characterised and evaluated and what constitutes metaphysical data and evidence? What distinguishes such an inductive metaphysical approach from naturalising metaphysics? This workshop aims at exploring some of these and related questions regarding the theoretical presuppositions of metaphysical methodology.

 

Programme:

December 6, 2018
10:00-11:00: Stephen Biggs: Towards an Abduction-based Epistemology of Metaphysics
11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
11:30-12:30: Ilkka Niiniluoto: Abductive Arguments for Ontological Realism
12:30-14:30: Lunch Break
14:30-15:30: Gerhard Schurz: Abduction as a Method of Inductive Metaphysics
15:30-16:00: Coffee Break
16:00-17:00: Timothy Williamson: Abduction in Logic and Mathematics
18:00-: Dinner

December 7, 2018
10:00-11:00: Igor Douven: Putting Prototypes in Place: An Engineering Approach
11:00-11:30: Coffee Break
11:30-12:30: Helen Beebee: Peer Disagreement and Scepticism in Metaphysics
12:30-14:30: Lunch Break
14:30-15:30: Meghan Sullivan: Modal Logic and the Methodology of Metaphysics: A Case Study in the Relationship Between Formalism and Abduction
15:30-16:00: Coffee Break
16:00-17:00: Tim Maudlin: tba

 

Date and Venue: The workshop takes place from December 6 to 7, 2018, at the Haus der Universitaet (Schadowplatz 14, 40212 Duesseldorf) of the University of Duesseldorf.

 

Registration:

Attendance is free. If you are interested in attending, please register via e-mail to <christian.feldbacher-escamilla@hhu.de> until November 30, 2018.

 

More Information:

For the detailed programme, abstracts, and further information, please visit <https://indmet.weebly.com/abduction-and-modelling-in-metaphysics.html>.

 

**********

 

PUBLIC EVENING TALK

The workshop is preceded by a public evening talk of Timothy Williamson on “Morally Loaded Examples in Philosophy”; the evening lecture takes place on December 4, 2018, from 18:30 to 20:00, at the Haus der Universitaet (Schadowplatz 14, 40212 Duesseldorf).

 

**********

 

READING GROUP

We also would like to draw your attention to a reading group with Timothy Williamson which takes place from December 4 to 5, 2018, at the Campus of the University of Duesseldorf. If you are interested in joining the reading group, please contact the website for further information and reading material: <https://indmet.weebly.com/abduction-and-modelling-in-metaphysics.html>

 

Dates and Venue:

Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 10:00 till lunch, HHU Duesseldorf (Rektoratsraeume)

Welcome and Introduction by Siegfried Jaag and Markus Schrenk

Discussion of papers (tba)

 

Wednesday, December 5, 10:00 till lunch, HHU Duesseldorf (Rektoratsraeume)

Discussions of papers (tba)

 

At the reading groups, we will discuss papers and selected book chapters that are related to inductive metaphysics. The specific readings for the sessions will be announced shortly. Attendance is free but limited to a few places. If you are interested in attending, please register via e-mail to <christian.feldbacher-escamilla@hhu.de> until November 30, 2018.

 

**********

 

ORGANISATION

The events are organised by the DFG funded research group Inductive Metaphysics the goal of which is to establish how empirical sources and inductive forms of inference play a role in metaphysical research.

Organisers: Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla, Siegfried Jaag, Markus Schrenk, Gerhard Schurz

Website: <https://indmet.weebly.com/abduction-and-modelling-in-metaphysics.html>

Contact: <christian.feldbacher-escamilla@hhu.de>

Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG), research unit: Inductive Metaphysics FOR 2495

CfP: International Conference on Simplicities and Complexities (University of Bonn, May 22-24, 2019, Deadline: January 15, 2019)

Submitted by Miguel Ángel Carretero (University of Wuppertal).

 

International Conference on Simplicities and Complexities
22-24 May 2019
Bonn, Germany
Call for Papers – Deadline: 15 January 2019
https://www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/complexities
https://easychair.org/cfp/simplecomplex1

“Simplicities and Complexities” will take place from 22 to 24 May 2019 at the University of Bonn, Germany. It aims to bring together scientists and scholars from a spectrum of disciplines such as physics, biology, ecology, chemistry, and computational science, as well as from philosophy, sociology, and history of science. This conference is organized by the interdisciplinary, DFG- and FWF-funded research unit “Epistemology of the LHC”.

Philosophers and scientists alike have often assumed simplicity to be an epistemic ideal. Some examples of theories taken as successful realizations of this ideal include General Relativity and Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection. These theories influenced early and mid-20th century philosophers’ understanding of the criteria successful scientific theories and practices had to meet, even when facing complex phenomena. However, this influence did not mean that the notion of simplicity was clear-cut. A suitable and encompassing definition of simplicity has yet to be developed. Some unanswered questions include: In what sense can and do physicists consider a theory, such as the Standard Model of elementary particle physics, as being sufficiently simple? How do ideals of simplicity differ when applied to disciplines other than physics? Biological concepts, for example, do not tend to refer to laws, whereas concepts from the social sciences frequently resort to notions of order and structure that are different from those of natural sciences. Are there, accordingly, simplicities (in plural) rather than a unified logic-inspired notion? Finally, are there cases where simplicity is simply a bad epistemic ideal, and not merely for the reason that it is often unreachable?

Throughout the 20th century the sciences have approached more and more complex phenomena, in tune with the increased social relevance of scientific knowledge. The perceived need to address complexity head-on has led to a broader reaction against simplification and reductionism within the sciences. However, if simplicity, in its various outfits, has proven an unreliable guide, what should it be replaced with? Looking at the various strategies of addressing complexity in the sciences and the disciplines reflecting upon them, it appears that the notion is at least as variegated as simplicity. To be sure, there exist measures of complexity as well as mathematical, empirical, or discursive strategies to deal with it, but they vary strongly from one discipline to another.

The aim of the conference is to analyze, differentiate, and connect the various notions and practices of simplicity and complexity, in physics as well as in other sciences, guided by the following questions:

Which kinds and levels of simplicity can be distinguished (e.g. formal or ontological, structural or practical)? Which roles do they play and which purposes do they serve? Does simplicity, in a suitable reformulation, remain a valid ideal – and if so, in which fields and problem contexts? Or, instead, where has it been abandoned or replaced by a plurality of interconnected approaches and alternative perspectives?
What about complexity? How is the complexity of an object of investigation addressed (represented, mirrored, negated, etc.) by the adopted theoretical and empirical approaches in different fields?
Addressing complex problems, especially those relevant to society, requires institutional settings beyond the traditional research laboratory. How does the complexity of such settings relate to the complexity of epistemic strategies and of the problems themselves? In what sense can we trust the other players in a complex epistemic network?
How should we conceive of the relation between simplicity and complexity? Are there alternatives to seeing complexity in opposition to simplicity? Does physics, in virtue of its history, maintain its special position in the contemporary debates on simplicity and complexity? What do reflections on the epistemic cultures of ecology, cultural anthropology, economics, etc. have to offer in terms of how simplicities and complexities can be balanced?
We invite contributors from a spectrum of disciplines, scientists and scholars reflecting on their respective and neighboring research fields, as well as historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science investigating the epistemologies, practices, and discourses of fellow epistemic communities. The conference will thrive on intense discussion surpassing disciplinary boundaries.

Invited Speakers
Physics:
Robert Harlander, RWTH Aachen (Germany)
Stephen Blundell, University of Oxford (UK)
Beate Heinemann, DESY Freiburg (Germany)

Philosophy:
Michael Stöltzner, University of South Carolina (US)
Marta Bertolaso, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome (Italy)
Alan Baker, Swarthmore College (US)

STS:
Talia Dan-Cohen, Washington University in St. Louis (US)
Stefan Böschen, RWTH Aachen (Germany)

Other Sciences:
Volker Grimm, Helmholtz Centre for Enviromental Research (Germany)
Thomas Vogt, University of South Carolina (US)

Other speakers will be announced soon

Call for Papers
https://easychair.org/cfp/simplecomplex1
The organisation committee invites abstract submissions on the theme of the conference. Short abstracts (200-300 words) should be submitted to EasyChair by 15 January 2019. We aim to communicate our decision by 28 February. Submissions are welcome from the broad spectrum of scientific fields.
Organization
This workshop is organized by the DFG and FWF-funded research unit “Epistemology of the LHC”.

Cristin Chall (University of Bonn)
Dennis Lehmkuhl (University of Bonn)
Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen)
Martina Merz (University of Klagenfurt)
Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo (University of Wuppertal)
Gregor Schiemann (University of Wuppertal)
Michael Stöltzner (University of South Carolina)

Contact
For further information, please contact lhc.epistemology@uni-wuppertal.de

CfA: University Professor for Philosophy (Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Deadline: November 16, 2018)

Submitted by Michael Kreisel (Bergische Universität Wuppertal).

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Science and Technology Research (IZWT)

is seeking a

University Professor for Philosophy

Pay scale group: W 2 State Remuneration Act (LBesG) NRW (pursuant to section 36 Higher Education Act (HG) NRW)

to start on 01.04.2020 or earlier.

The professorship is located in the field of Philosophy and autonomously covers the entire systematic and historic breadth of the subject.

The position focuses on the philosophy of science and logic. The holder of this position is expected to have a double qualification in this field and to be able to develop the existing research and teaching profile for the philosophy of the exact sciences or the philosophy of mathematics in a competent manner. The teaching duties associated with the professorship include the provision of a compulsory introduction to logic for students.

The tasks associated with the professorship include active engagement in the IZWT, in particular the ability to combine philosophical, historical, and sociological perspectives in science and technology studies. The successful applicant is expected to integrate into the existing DFG research group “The Epistemology of the Large Hadron Collider”.

Assistance with academic self-administration is seen as a matter of course.

The University of Wuppertal sees the equality of men and women as an important task to which the future holder of this position will be expected to contribute.

Requirements for employment

In addition to pedagogical competence, the applicant is expected to have special aptitude for academic work. His/her academic achievements since obtaining a doctorate will testify to this. If the applicant has not yet held a professorship, equivalent achievements are provided as part of a junior professorship; they can also be provided as part of a habilitation or a research position at a university or non-university research institution or as part of a research activity in business, administration, or another social field in Germany or abroad.

Reference number: P18007

Applications must include a CV, copies of diplomas, a publications list and, if applicable, a list of classes given to date, and be sent to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gerrit Walther, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, 42097 Wuppertal, mentioning the reference number P18007.

Applications sent electronically cannot be considered.

Applications from women are expressly desired. Women will be given preferential consideration in accordance with the NRW Equal Opportunities Act unless there are grounds in the person of another applicant that take precedence. This does not affect the rights of severely handicapped persons to be given preferential consideration if they are equally suitable.

Application deadline: 16.11.2018

For more information see:
https://stellenausschreibungen.uni-wuppertal.de/

CfA: Summer School Vienna: Philosophy and Psychiatry (July 1-12, 2019; Application Deadline: February 15, 2019)

Submitted by Martin Kusch (University of Vienna).

 

Call For Application (Deadline: February 15, 2019)

PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHIATRY

Univie Summer School – Scientific World Conceptions (USS-SWC) July 1–12, 2019

The Univie Summer School – Scientific World Conceptions (USS-SWC) – until 2014 under the label “Vienna International Summer University” – will be held from July 1 to 12, 2019. The topic of the two-week course is „Philosophy and Psychiatry “ The main lecturers are Rachel Cooper (Lancaster University), Dominic Murphy(The University of Sydney) and Tim Thornton ( University of Central Lancashire ).

As an international interdisciplinary program, USS SWC brings graduate students in close contact with world-renowned scholars. The program is directed primarily to graduate students and junior researchers in fields related to the annual topic, but the organizers also encourage applications from gifted undergraduates and from people in all stages of their career who wish to broaden their horizon through crossdisciplinary studies of methodological and foundational issues in science.

The topic of the two-week course is „ Philosophy and Psychiatry “:

By its very nature, psychiatry – the medical specialism devoted to mental healthcare – raises as many conceptual as empirical questions. The philosophy of psychiatry is a rapidly emerging field which draws broadly on philosophical traditions – centrally analytic philosophy and phenomenology – to address a range of questions as broad as the demands made on psychiatry to address problems of human suffering, distress and disorder. It is also an area where philosophical methods, accounts and theories can be applied to and thus tested against psychiatric and psychopathological phenomena. But at its heart lies the question of whether, since psychiatry sees itself as part of medicine, the medical conceptualisation of illness and disease can be articulated in such a way that it properly applies to the distinct ‘problems of living’ that psychiatry addresses in response to the crisis of legitimacy often raised. This summer school will address a number key questions which impact on mental health care.

Application form and further information:

http://www.univie.ac.at/ivc/SWC/

 

The Main Lecturers:

Rachel Cooper (Lancaster University)

http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/people-profiles/Rachel-Cooper

Dominic Murphy (The University of Sydney)

https://sydney.edu.au/science/people/dominic.murphy.php

Tim Thornton ( University of Central Lancashire )

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/staff_profiles/prof-tim-thornton.php

Guest lecturer:

Raffaella Campaner (Università di Bologna)

https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/raffaella.campaner/en

 

USS-SWC operates under the academic supervision of an International Program Committee of distinguished philosophers, historians, and scientists. Its members represent the scientific fields in the scope of USS-SWC, make contact to their home universities and will also support acknowledgement of courses taken by the students. USS-SWC is organised every year by the Institute Vienna Circle of the University of Vienna.

http://ivc.univie.ac.at/

http://www.univie.ac.at/ivc/

http://wienerkreis.univie.ac.at/

 

Opening

Venue: Kapelle, Institut für Ethik und Recht in der Medizin, Campus der Universität Wien, Entrance 2.8

Time: Monday, July 1, 2019, 9 a.m.

 

Further Information

www.univie.ac.at/ivc/SWC

Since 2010 USS-SWC is a part of the curriculum of the doctoral programme “The Sciences in Historical, Philosophical and Cultural Contexts”

http://dkplus-sciences-contexts.univie.ac.at/

There is an exchange programme with Duke University (North Carolina):

http://international.univie.ac.at/outgoing-students/non-eu-student-exchange-program/kom-2-bewerbungsunterlagen/

 

For further inquiries, please send email to martin.kusch@univie.ac.at or consult the IVC’s Web site

 

Inquiries:

Organisation:

Robert Kaller

Institute Vienna Circle

Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 1, 1090 Wien

ivc@univie.ac.at

Tel. +43-1-4277-46504

 

Scientific director:

Prof. Martin Kusch

Department of Philosophy

University of Vienna

martin.kusch@univie.ac.at

 

Wiener Kreis Gesellschaft/Vienna Circle Society

Universitätscampus, Hof 1

Spitalgasse 2-4

A-1090 Wien, Austria

Tel:  +43-1-4277 46504

Fax: +43-1-4277 9465

ivc@univie.ac.at

http://www.univie.ac.at/ivc/

CfP: EPSA19 (Geneva, September 11-14, 2019; Deadline: January 14, 2019)

Submitted by EPSA.

 

Call for Papers – EPSA19

 

Call for Papers and Symposia

The EPSA invites contributed papers and proposals for symposia for its next conference, EPSA19, to be held in Geneva (Switzerland) on 11-14 September 2019. The conference will feature contributed talks, symposia, and posters covering all subfields of the philosophy of science, and will bring together a large number of philosophers of science from Europe and overseas. We also welcome philosophically-minded scientists and investigators from areas outside the philosophy of science, for example, as symposium participants; and we particularly welcome submissions from women, ethnic minorities, and other under-represented groups in the profession.

The conference has ten sections:

  • General Philosophy of Science
  • Philosophy of the Physical Sciences
  • Philosophy of the Life Sciences
  • Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences
  • Philosophy of the Social Sciences
  • Philosophy of Technology and Philosophy of Interdisciplinary Research
  • Philosophy of Science in Practice
  • Formal Philosophy of Science
  • Integrated History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science
  • Ethical Issues in the Sciences

The EPSA19 Programme Committee, headed by Anouk Barberousse and Richard Dawid, will strive for quality, variety, and diversity on the programme. A selection of accepted contributed and symposium papers will appear in the European Journal of Philosophy of Science (EJPS).

Contributed Papers

We invite submissions of both a short abstract (max. 1000 characters) and an extended abstract through EasyChair, our online submission system, by 14 January 2019. The extended abstract should include the number and title of the relevant section, the title of the paper, and an abstract of 1000 words maximum. The allocated time for delivering contributed papers at the conference will be 30 minutes, including discussion. Please prepare your abstracts for blind review, and submit your extended abstract as a PDF file.

Authors who want their paper to be considered for the poster session in case of non-acceptance as a talk should tick the appropriate box in EasyChair. Authors whose papers could not be accepted for presentation as a talk but who are offered a place in the poster session will be notified in the decision email.

Symposia

We invite submissions of both a short abstract (max. 1,000 characters) and a full proposal through EasyChair, our online submission system, by 14 January 2019. The full proposal should include the number and title of the relevant section, the title of the proposed symposium, the contact details of the organizer(s) (who may or may not be a speaker) and the names and short CVs of all speakers (max. 1 page in total), a general description of the topic and its significance (max. 1,500 words), and titles and abstracts of all papers (max. 300 words for each paper). Accepted symposia will be allocated 120 minutes, including discussions. They can have any format but the maximum number of speakers is five. Symposium proposals that explore connections between different areas or research programs in philosophy of science or between philosophy of science and sciences are encouraged. Please submit the full proposal as a PDF file.

Poster Session

We invite contributions of posters, which will be presented in a dedicated poster session. Posters can be submitted either as a second option for papers that are also submitted as contributed talks or specifically for the poster session. For poster submissions, please follow the guidelines for contributed papers, add the word Poster below the title on both abstracts, and submit your abstracts either by ticking the Poster box in the contributed paper track or by uploading your material in the poster track in EasyChair.

Submission Guidelines and Rules

  • The deadline for all submissions is 14 January 2019.
  • All submissions should be made through EasyChair. Please note that first-time users have to register as users of EasyChair.
  • To present at the conference, you must be an active and paying member of the EPSA. Join or renew membership today.
  • Authors can simultaneously make one submission for each of the three above types (contributed paper, symposium, poster), but any author can appear on the programme only once as a presenter or symposium organizer.
  • In case of acceptance of multiple submissions by one author, the programme committee will give symposium participation priority over contributed talks and contributed talks over posters.
  • For co-authored contributed papers, symposium papers, and posters it will be assumed that the first author will present the paper or poster. Accordingly, authors presenting at EPSA19 may also appear as co-authors of other papers that are part of the programme, but not as first author/presenter.
  • The decisions on the acceptance of submissions will be announced on 15 April 2019.

Contact us

For general enquiries about EPSA19, please contact phil-epsa@bristol.ac.uk. To learn more about our previous biennial conferences, please visit our website.

CfA: Call for Nominations — EPSA Steering Committee (Deadline: March 1, 2019)

Submitted by EPSA.

Election of Officers

The EPSA is a thriving learned society that seeks to promote and advance the study of philosophy of science in Europe. To keep it thriving, it is important to have an active and committed Steering Committee. In June 2019, members of the EPSA will be asked to elect a new Vice-President, Treasurer, and three new regular members of the Steering Committee. The current President and four other Steering Committee members will remain in office in order to to provide continuity.

To prepare for the elections, we are seeking nominations for the various offices. EPSA members are invited to propose candidates for the roles of 
1. Vice-President
2. Treasurer*
3. Steering Committee Officer (3 open positions)
As the EPSA seeks to involve more women in philosophy of science, the nomination of female candidates is especially encouraged. For more information about how we are engaging with women and other under-represented groups in philosophy, visit our Women’s Caucus page.
 
* Please note: we require that the Treasurer be able to speak German (in order to liaise with the Austrian bank where the EPSA account is held).
 

Nomination Information

Nominations should be sent to the EPSA email address: phil-epsa@bristol.ac.uk. 
 
The deadline for nominations is 1 March 2019. 
 
Both nominators and nominees must be EPSA members. Join or renew membership. Members of previous Steering Committees (but not of the present one) can run again if they wish.
The Nomination Committee will produce a list of three candidates for Vice-President, and up to eight candidates for other Steering Committee Officers including the Treasurer. The members of the Nomination Committee are Thomas Pradeu (chair), Uljana Feest, Caterina Marchionni, Max Kistler, and Claus Beisbart.

CfP: Biases in Science (LMU Munich, April 10-12, 2019, Deadline: November 1, 2018)

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann (MCMP, LMU Munich).

 

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The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy invites abstracts for the following conference:

Biases in Science

MCMP, LMU Munich

April 10-12, 2019

http://www.lmu.de/biasesinscience2019
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One of the main obstacles of reliable scientific research is the occurrence of explicit or implicit biases. Well-known examples of such biases include the confirmation bias, the ingroup bias, and biases resulting from industry-sponsored research. Each of these biases may impede the objectivity of scientific inquiry by, among other things, influencing one’s judgement as to what counts as relevant evidence, or one’s selection of research problems and methods of inquiry. All this, in turn, may ultimately affect the explanations, the predictions, as well as the broader theoretical accounts accepted by scientists. What is more, as research results often provide direct input for policy making, the problem of biases in science is also of socio-political relevance.

This conference aims at bringing together scholars from philosophy, the sciences, and science policy, to advance our understanding of biases in science by addressing questions such as:

  • How do psychological mechanisms for scientific biases differ from those underpinning everyday biases in categorization, diagnosis, induction, etc.?
  • What social mechanisms catalyse biased research?
  • How can biased reasoning and information sharing be formally modelled?
  • How are general hypotheses concerning bias supported by concrete cases of biased research?
  • How are answers to the above questions helpful in mitigating the risks of biased research?


Call for abstracts
We invite submissions in the form of a short abstract (ca. 150 words) and an extended abstract (of up to 1000 words) through the EasyChair submission system: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=biases2019.
The conference language is English; contributions in other languages will not be considered. The abstract should not contain any identifying information.

Dates and Deadines
Submission Deadline: November 1, 2018
Notifications: November 15, 2018
Conference: April 10-12, 2019

Organizers 
Lorenzo Casini (University of Geneva/MCMP)
Stephan Hartmann (MCMP/LMU Munich)
Dunja Šešelja (MCMP/LMU Munich)
Marcel Weber (University of Geneva)

CfA: Dark Matter & Modified Gravity Conference (RWTH Aachen University, February 6-8, 2019, Deadline: October 31, 2018)

Submitted by Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen University).

 

Dark Matter & Modified Gravity Conference

6-8 February 2019

Aachen, Germany

Call for Abstracts (deadline 31 October 2018)

www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/dm-mg

 

The Research Unit “Epistemology of the LHC” invites students and scholars in philosophy, history and sociology of physics/science, as well as in physics, to submit abstracts for the conference “Dark Matter & Modified Gravity”, taking place from 6 to 8 February 2019 at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.

 

Interdisciplinary perspectives on the underdetermination between dark matter & modified gravity

Astrophysical and cosmological observations as well as explanatory gaps in the Standard Model of particle physics imply the existence of Dark Matter and/or a modification of our theory of space and time. A decision between the Dark Matter (DM) and Modified Gravity (MG) approaches is hampered by problems of underdetermination at different levels and of different kinds. The plethora of Dark Matter and Modified Gravity approaches, and the corresponding underdetermination, even in the light of the vast amount of relevant collider based and astrophysical observations, clearly illustrates the complexity of this scientific problem. On the other hand, the overlap of the collider and astrophysical domains may allow for reducing the underdetermination, thus leading to a simplification of the model landscape. One focus of this conference is Dark Matter searches at the Large Hadron Collider and the connection between LHC results and theories of gravity. We will address the question of different kinds of underdetermination, both in choosing between the two research programs of Dark Matter and Modified Gravity, and also in choosing between different models within each program. In particular, we aim to provide an assessment of the explanatory power and the explanatory gaps of the Dark Matter and Modified Gravity hypotheses, and the extent to which these might reduce the issues of underdetermination.

 

Research topics include, but are not limited to:

-Is a strict conceptual distinction between DM and MG justified? How does this relate to the distinction between matter and spacetime?

-What are the explanatory successes and failures of the DM research programme, and of the MG research programme? Which models of explanation are being employed by the respective programmes, and how do those relate?

-Sociology of the DM-MG debate

-How do data, constraints and explanations at the LHC, in astrophysics and cosmology relate? Could the LHC, in principle, confirm dark matter by itself?

-Virtues and vices of simplified (dark matter) models. Do simplified models explain?

-Hybrid models, fifth forces & exotic theories that are neither MG nor DM

-Connections between dark energy and DM/MG

-Novel predictions, fine-tuning and falsifiability

 

Confirmed Speakers

Physics:

Tessa Baker, University of Oxford (UK)

Lasha Berezhiani, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (Germany)

Felix Kahlhoefer, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

Julien Lesgourgues, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

Mordehai Milgrom, Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)

Tobias Mistele, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (Germany)

Robert Sanders, University of Groningen (The Netherlands)

Philosophy:

Michela Massimi, University of Edinburgh (UK)

Niels Martens, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

David Merritt, Rochester Institute of Technology (USA)

Robert Rynasiewicz, Johns Hopkins University (USA)

History:

Jeroen van Dongen, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Jaco de Swart, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

 

Other speakers from the Humanities to be announced soon (see website)

 

Call for Abstracts

The Research Unit “Epistemology of the LHC” invites abstract submissions on the theme of the conference, from students and scholars in physics as well as in philosophy, history and sociology of physics/science. Extended abstracts of between 500 and 1000 words (excluding references), together with a short abstract of maximally 100 words, should be submitted as a pdf to Niels Martens (martens@physik.rwth-aachen.de) by 31 October 2018. We aim to communicate our decision by 20 November. We especially encourage submissions from groups that are underrepresented within the above fields.

 

Organisation & Contact

This conference is organized by the project “LHC and Gravity” within the interdisciplinary, DFG-funded research unit “Epistemology of the LHC”. For further information, see the conference website: www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/dm-mg,

or contact the organisers:

-Niels Martens (RWTH Aachen University) martens@physik.rwth-aachen.de

-Dennis Lehmkuhl (University of Bonn) lehmkuhl@caltech.edu

-Michael Krämer (RWTH Aachen University) mkraemer@physik.rwth-aachen.de

-Erhard Scholz (University of Wuppertal) scholz@math.uni-wuppertal.de

-Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo (University of Wuppertal) carreterosahuqu@uni-wuppertal.de