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

Submitted by Anke Bueter (University of Hannover).

Call for papers – “Philosophy of medicine meets social epistemology”

June 7 & 8, 2018
Location: Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. The location is barrier-free.

Keynote speakers: Havi Carel (University of Bristol), Rebecca Kukla (Georgetown University), Miriam Solomon (Temple University), Sean Valles (Michigan State University).

Organizers: Anke Bueter (Leibniz Universität Hannover), Daria Jadreškic (Leibniz Universität Hannover), Saana Jukola (Bielefeld University) & Julia Pfeiff (Leibniz Universität Hannover)

Topic
The two-day workshop aims at building bridges between philosophy of medicine and social epistemology. There is a significant overlap in the questions discussed in these fields, especially the interest in medical research in its wider social and cultural context. The workshop aims to provide an opportunity to explore such issues, which are not only of interest to academic philosophy, but have wide-ranging implications for society. How does the institutional context of medical research influence its trustworthiness? Which research areas and questions are under-funded or even completely ignored? How do issues of testimonial justice affect therapeutic relationships? What is the role of patient and other interest groups in producing medical knowledge?

Possible topics include, but are by no means limited to: the formation and usage of certain concepts and classifications of race or gender in medical research as well as their societal impacts; the conceptualization of health, illness, and disability; possibilities to deal with the commercialization of research and resulting bias; the nature of objectivity in medicine and psychiatry; issues of trust in medical practice, potential epistemic injustices in patient-doctor relations, and their role in diagnostic and therapeutic processes.

Submissions
We invite submissions for 25 minutes talks (plus 20 minutes discussion). Please submit an abstract with no more than 750 words. Abstracts need to be submitted in an anonymized document (PDF or DOC) together with the title of the talk. Please send the document, attached to an email that states your name, affiliation and position as well as the title of the talk, to admissions@philos.uni-hannover.de. The deadline is March 12, 2018. Notice of acceptance will be sent out two weeks later. Participants who do not give a talk are also welcome and are asked to register in advance. There is no registration fee.

Submitted by Ludger Jansen (University of Rostock).

 

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*** Call for Papers
***
*** FORMAL CAUSATION
***
*** 22–23 October 2018
*** University of Rostock, Germany
***
*** 
Deadline: 15 April 2018
***

Formal causation, one of the four traditional kinds of causation distinguished by Aristotle, is currently heavily under-researched and has even fallen into disrepute. Formal causation is at play whenever a thing has a certain property because it is of a certain kind. Such properties are normally called essential properties. For instance, whales have the disposition to breathe with lungs because they are mammals. There is an extensive and influential trend in contemporary philosophy studying causation in terms of dispositions, while the question of why things have some dispositions (or other properties) and lack others in the first place has largely been ignored.

The conference will explore formal causation, i.e., the view that an object having a property such as a disposition can be explained through kind membership. Some of the talks will be historical work, mainly on Aristotle, some will be systematic work on the contemporary discussion, and some will combine both historical and systematic approaches. Especially relevant for formal causation are the contemporary debates about essence and necessity, dependence and grounding, laws of nature, universals, dispositions, and functions.

There are two slots in the program to be filled through this call for papers. We especially welcome submissions from early-career researchers (such as current PhD students or Post-docs). We are committed to the SWIP good practice scheme.

The conference is funded through the DFG-project “Formal Causation in Aristotle and in Analytic Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science”. We will cover travel expenses up to 300 €, and will also cover accommodation and meals during the conference. We plan to start on Monday morning, so most participants are likely to arrive in Rostock on Sunday. The conference will take place at the IBZ Rostock (Bergstraße 7a, 18057 Rostock). Only a few minutes’ walk from the conference venue is Motel One (Schröderplatz 2, 18057 Rostock), where we have reserved a pool of rooms for the duration of the conference. We also plan to edit a volume based upon the talks at the conference, published by a leading publisher. 

Confirmed speakers:
Michael Ferejohn (Duke)
Kathrin Koslicki (Alberta)
James G. Lennox (Pittsburgh)
Anna Marmodoro (Durham/Oxford)
Stephen Mumford (Durham)
David Oderberg (Reading)
Christof Rapp (LMU Munich)
Benjamin Schnieder (Hamburg)
Tuomas Tahko (Helsinki)
Barbara Vetter (FU Berlin)

Submission requirements: We invite submissions of abstracts of maximum 500 words, suitable for approximately 30–40 minutes presentation (each speaker will have one hour for presentation and discussion). Abstracts are to be submitted by e-mail to petter.sandstad@gmail.com

Deadline for submission is 15 April 2018.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 1 May 2018.
Contact for further information: Petter Sandstad: petter.sandstad@gmail.com
Website: https://philevents.org/event/show/40814

Greetings from Rostock,
Ludger Jansen and Petter Sandstad

Submitted by Florian Boge (University of Wuppertal).

 

Second Call for Applications
The Research Unit Epistemology of the LHC invites applications for the Summer School Particle Physics at the Crossroads: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future of Particle Physics taking place 23-30 July 2018 in Wuppertal (Germany).

Extended deadline: 28 February 2018

 

Confirmed speakers

Physics:

John Ellis
Margarete Mühlleitner
Christian Zeitnitz

Philosophy:

Rafaela Hillerbrand
Chris Smeenk 
Kent Staley

History:

Friedrich Steinle 
Catherine Westfall

Sociology:

Olof Hallonsten
Martina Merz

Aims & Scope
With the discovery of the Higgs boson, the last missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics has been found. The “hunt” for the Standard Model particles has thus come to an end and new aims and challenges will take centre stage in the practice of particle physics: precision measurements of the Standard Model’s parameters, the search for particles beyond the Standard Model, motivated in part by cosmological evidence, and the exploration of yet uncharted experimental and theoretical territory. To meet these challenges ever more sophisticated and larger experimental facilities will be required as well as an ever more critical assessment of the virtues and shortcomings of various theoretical proposals. A better understanding of this new phase of particle physics calls for a concerted effort of physics and the social sciences reflecting on it.

Application Details
We invite up to 30 advanced students and early career researchers from the history, philosophy, and sociology of physics, as well as from physics itself to participate. The application process will be competitive and participants will be selected according to qualification and research interests. Assuming equal qualification, preference will be given to underrepresented groups. To apply, please send the following material in a single pdf file to SummerSchool.ELHC@uni-wuppertal.de no later than 28 February 2018:

– a letter of motivation, no longer than two pages,
– a cv in tabular form,
– and a list of publications (if available).

A selection of participants will be able to give short presentations of their own work as part of the school. The presentations will be followed by a commentary from a member of the Research Unit. In case you intend to give a presentation, you should add to your application:

– the title of your talk, and
– a short abstract (between 300 and 500 words)

We offer a number of stipends to participants with limited financing. The exact number and the amount granted will, however, depend on the needs of potential participants and will be determined at the conclusion of the application phase only.

To apply for a stipend, please also prepare and submit a letter, no longer than one page, explaining your financial situation.

To ensure equal opportunities, we are currently also organizing on-site child care. Please indicate in your application if you intend to bring your child or children (and if the latter, how many) with you to the school.

Upon request, the participants will receive a confirmation that the summer school is equivalent to a workload of 2 ECTS.

For further information and practical details, please refer to
http://www.lhc-epistemologie.uni-wuppertal.de/index.php?id=1182
or contact the organizers Adrian Wüthrich and Florian Boge using the email address SummerSchool.ELHC@uni-wuppertal.de

Submitted by Simon Scheller (LMU Munich).

 

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

Computational Modeling in Philosophy (CMP)

MCMP, LMU Munich

June 22-23, 2018

https://tinyurl.com/y9tpvq9m
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Computational models are an increasingly important tool in philosophy. They find application in diverse domains such as philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, political philosophy, and social epistemology. This conference aims to foster an exchange among leading researchers in the field concerning the foundations and applications of computational modeling within philosophy and beyond. Keynote Speakers are: Remco Heesen, University of Cambridge, Johannes Marx, University of Bamberg, Cailin O’Connor, University of California, Irvine

Call for papers

We invite the submission of a short abstract of 100 words and an extended abstract of roughly 750 – 1000 words (prepared as a PDF document) via the conference’s easyChair submisison page no later than 1 April 2018. Potential topics include but are not limited to: Belief and opinion dynamics, the emergence of norms, philosophy of science of computational modeling, emergence and complexity, social epistemology, dynamics of social systems.

Fees and Registration

The conference fee is 50€ and 30€ for students.
The fee does not include the conference dinner. If you want to participate on a Dutch-treat basis please mention it in your registration message.
The fee is payable with credit cards (VISA and AMEX) and in cash when you register at the conference.

To register please send a message to simon.scheller@lrz.uni-muenchen.de. Please say whether you plan to attend the conference dinner or not, to make sure you are included in the reservation.

Dates and Deadines

Submission Deadline: April 1, 2018
Conference: June 22-23, 2018

Organizers 

Christoph Merdes (MCMP)
Simon Scheller (MCMP)
Rush Stewart (MCMP)

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann.

 

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Two Doctoral Fellowships at the MCMP (LMU Munich)
MCMP, LMU Munich
http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/news/doc_fellows_2018/index.html
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The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) seeks applications for two 3-year doctoral fellowships starting on October 1, 2018. (A later starting date is possible.)

We are especially interested in candidates with research interests in at least one of the following fields: general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, philosophy of the social sciences, philosophy of statistics, formal epistemology, formal philosophy of science, social epistemology, philosophy and psychology of reasoning and argumentation, agent-based modeling in philosophy, or decision theory.

Application deadline: April 15 2018

For more information and details see: http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/news/doc_fellows_2018/index.html

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann.

 

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Two Postdoctoral Fellowships at the MCMP (LMU Munich)
MCMP, LMU Munich
http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/news/post_doc_2018/index.html
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The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) seeks applications for two 3-year postdoctoral fellowships starting on October 1, 2018. (A later starting date is possible.)
We are especially interested in candidates with research interests in at least one of the following fields: general philosophy of science, philosophy of physics, philosophy of the social sciences, philosophy of statistics, formal epistemology, formal philosophy of science, social epistemology, philosophy and psychology of reasoning and argumentation, agent-based modeling in philosophy, or decision theory.

Application deadline: April 15 2018

For more information and details see: http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/news/post_doc_2018/index.html

Submitted by Maria Kronfeldner (CEU).

This summer school will examine critically the ways in which the social sciences and biology have been historically bound up over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From the beginning of that period, social and political theories exerted their influence on the knowledge produced by biological disciplines, while the social sciences built their understanding of human societies by drawing on what biology could tell them about human nature. The course will examine the entangled history of these disciplines and scrutinize how scientific boundaries are drawn and maintained, and how knowledge travels across them. We will evaluate what history can teach us about these exchanges and contemplate about possible joint work between social and biological scientists in the future.
Key topics of the course will include: early history of eugenics, different hereditary theories and their social implications, the nature/nurture divide, uses of history in genetics and vice versa, the relationship between social science and evolutionary theory.

Course Director(s):
Tatjana Buklijas
Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Emese Lafferton
Department of History, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

Course Faculty:
Clare Hanson
Department of English, University of Southampton, UK
Mark Hanson
Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
Christophe Heintz
Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Eva Jablonka
Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Maria Kronfeldner
Department of Philosophy, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Veronika Lipphardt
University College Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg, Germany
Maurizio Meloni
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, UK
Judit Sandor
Legal Studies, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Mihai Surdu
University College Freiburg, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany

The course will combine: lectures (45-60 mins) by core faculty followed by discussion of raised issues with students (30 mins), seminars (90 mins.) which concentrate on discussing pre-circulated texts and brief student presentations on selected topics, early afternoon workshops for public presentation and discussion of student research (draft thesis chapters, research proposals, draft articles, conference presentations, blog posts, audiovisual material, exhibition plans, etc.), individual writing and research time for the completion of short assessments, and public lectures for a wider audience.

See: https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/biological-2018

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann (MCMP, LMU Munich).

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Call for applications for all-inclusive stipends:

2nd International Rationality Summer Institute (IRSI2)

Kloster Irsee, Germany
September 2-14, 2018
http://2018.irsi-school.de
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Rationality is central to many disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and economics. This may suggest that research in these fields is conducted in close concert. But researchers in these disciplines unfortunately seldom have the chance to collaborate with and learn from one another. The aim of the International Rationality Summer Institutes (IRSI) is to overcome this division by providing an environment in which students can learn the state-of-the-art research on rationality in each of the above contributing disciplines.

Building on the great success of IRSI1 which focused on individual rationality, IRSI2 (Kloster Irsee, Germany, 2-14 September 2018) will focus on: collective rationality. IRSI2 is targeted at doctoral students and early-career postdocs working on rationality. The organizers plan to host a group of about 40 students, with a high level of international diversity and interdisciplinarity.

The faculty will be internationally leading experts in rationality research, including: Christina Bicchieri (University of Pennsylvania), Ophelia Deroy (LMU Munich), Franz Dietrich (Paris School of Economics, CNRS), Catarina Dutilh Novaes (University of Groningen/MCMP), Kenny Easwaran (Texas A&M University), Klaus Fiedler (University of Heidelberg), Nadine Fleischhut (Max Planck Institute for Human Development), L. Estefania Gazzo Castañeda (Justus-Liebig-University Gießen), Keise Izuma (The University of York), Markus Knauff (Justus-Liebig-University Gießen), Martin Kocher (LMU Munich), Aidan Lyon (University of Maryland/MCMP), Cailin O’Connor (University of California, Irvine), Don Saari (University of California, Irvine), Christin Schulze (Max Planck Institute for Human Development), Sonja Smets (University of Amsterdam), Fernando R. Velazquez Quesada (University of Amsterdam), Kai Vogeley (University Clinic of Cologne), and Kevin Zollmann (Carnegie Mellon University/MCMP). There will also be keynote lectures by Dan Sperber (Central European University / Institut Jean Nicod) and Ralph Wedgwood (University of Southern California). The organisers are Jean Baccelli, Stephan Hartmann, and Reuben Stern, from the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP, LMU Munich).

To apply for an all-inclusive IRSI2 stipend (travel, accommodation, full board, social program), please follow the instructions here. The deadline for applications is: April 1, 2018. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by: April 15, 2018.

IRSI2 is generously funded by the VolkswagenStiftung.

Submitted by Helmut Pulte (RUB).

Dear colleagues and friends of philosophy of science,

In the documents below you will find some information about a new MA programme of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, that we would like to call your attention to. It is open for both, students from the humanities and from the natural sciences and engineering:

“Philosophie, Geschichte und Kultur der Wissenschaften / History, Philosophy and Culture of Science (HPS+)“

The programme will start in summer term 2018. Applications are still possible.

We would appreciate if you could pass the information to your colleagues and departments and to advise your students of the new programme.

Thank you for your help.

With best wishes,

Yours,
Helmut Pulte

 

Documents:
HPS+ Flyer
HPS+ Poster

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann (MCMP, LMU Munich). Reminder by Christoph Merdes (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg).

 

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Computational Modeling in Philosophy with Synthese

Guest Editors: Simon Scheller (LMU Munich), Stephan Hartmann (LMU Munich), Christoph Merdes (FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg)

Computational modeling has become a well-established and broadly applied tool in core areas of Philosophy. Computational modelers draw on a broad range of techniques (such as agent-based modeling, artificial neural networks, or evolutionary game theory), and computational models encompass a broad spectrum of model types, from abstract toy models to empirically parameterized representations of dynamical systems.

Naturally, the advent of a new methodology raises a number of methodological questions and concerns, regarding the purpose, possibilities and limitations of computational methods. Among other things, focal attention has been attributed to the role of robustness, reliability and validation, to varying purposes of modeling and simulation, as well as to the epistemic status of computer models and simulation techniques.

This special issue is dedicated to contributions that either fruitfully apply computational modeling techniques in philosophy or investigate its methodological foundations. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Social and Political Philosophy
    • Opinion dynamics
    • Collective decision making
    • Emergence, evolution and persistence of norms and political Institutions
  • Formal Social Epistemology
    • Epistemic communities
    • Argumentation dynamics
    • Peer-review, reputation and incentives in science
    • Models of trust and reliability
  • Philosophy of Language
    • The evolution of language
    • Dynamic reasoning
    • Signalling games and language
  • Philosophy of computational modeling
    • Robustness analysis and simulation validation
    • Modes of argumentation and explanation through computer models
    • Purposes of computational modeling
    • Epistemic status of computer models and simulation, opacity
    • Overarching frameworks of computational models

For further information, please contact the guest editors: simon.scheller@lrz.uni-muenchen.deStephan.hartmann@lmu.deChristoph.merdes@fau.de

The deadline for submission is 1 March 2019.

Please submit your contributions via the editorial manager. Make sure to select this SI when selecting an article type.

Submitted by Anke Bueter (University of Hannover).

Call for papers – “Philosophy of medicine meets social epistemology”

June 7 & 8, 2018
Location: Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. The location is barrier-free.
Keynote speakers: Havi Carel (University of Bristol), Miriam Solomon (Temple University), Sean Valles (Michigan State University).
Organizers: Anke Bueter (Leibniz Universität Hannover) & Saana Jukola (Bielefeld University).

Topic
The two-day workshop aims at building bridges between philosophy of medicine and social epistemology. There is a significant overlap in the questions discussed in these fields, especially the interest in medical research in its wider social and cultural context. The workshop aims to provide an opportunity to explore such issues, which are not only of interest to academic philosophy, but have wide-ranging implications for society. How does the institutional context of medical research influence its trustworthiness? Which research areas and questions are under-funded or even completely ignored? How do issues of testimonial justice affect therapeutic relationships? What is the role of patient and other interest groups in producing medical knowledge?
Possible topics include, but are by no means limited to: the formation and usage of certain concepts and classifications of race or gender in medical research as well as their societal impacts; the conceptualization of health, illness, and disability; possibilities to deal with the commercialization of research and resulting bias; the nature of objectivity in medicine and psychiatry; issues of trust in medical practice, potential epistemic injustices in patient-doctor relations, and their role in diagnostic and therapeutic processes.

Submissions
We invite submissions for 25 minutes talks (plus 20 minutes discussion). Please submit an abstract with no more than 750 words. Abstracts need to be submitted in an anonymized document (PDF or DOC) together with the title of the talk. Please send the document, attached to an email that states your name, affiliation and position as well as the title of the talk, to admissions@philos.uni-hannover.de. The deadline is March 12, 2018. Notice of acceptance will be sent out two weeks later. Participants who do not give a talk are also welcome and are asked to register in advance. There is no registration fee.

Submitted by Erik Curiel (MCMP, LMU Munich).

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The Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy invites registration for the following event:

Second Annual Bristol-MCMP Workshop on the Foundations of Physics

MCMP, LMU Munich

January 27th 2018

http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/events/workshops/container/bristolmcmpworkshop2018/
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Statistical mechanics plays a central in almost every field of physics: solid state, fluid mechanics, cosmology, astrophysics, the study of black holes, every major program of quantum gravity, low temperature physics, the Standard Model, experimental error analysis, and on and on. Its conceptual and foundational problems—among them, the role and interpretation of probabilities, the nature of entropy and the Second Law, the root of irreversibility, its relation to thermodynamics—are as deep and unresolved as those of any other field of physics as well. All of these are active and central areas of research in contemporary work on the foundations of physics. Indeed, in recent decades the scope of statistical mechanics has grown to encompass fundamental work in such diverse fields as economics and formal epistemology as well. This workshop will address problems pertaining to a wide spectrum of such issues with an emphasis on technical work, with the aim both of examining the problems in their own right and of investigating whether approaches and techniques from some areas can be of use in others.

Call for registration

Please send registration requests by 20. Jan 2018 to the co-organizer Erik Curiel (erik.curiel@lmu.de). The email should have the subject: “register” . Also please indicate whether you plan to attend the conference dinner (27 Jan, 2018). There is no fee for the conference. The conference dinner is on dutch treat payment.

Dates and Deadines:

Registration Deadline: January 20th 2018
Conference: January 27th 2018

Organizers:
Erik Curiel
Neil Dewar

Submitted by Anne Sophie Meincke (University of Exeter).

 

First Call for Registration

Process Biology

Final Conference of the ERC-funded project
“A Process Ontology for Contemporary Biology”

21-23 March 2018, The Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, UK

Organised by John Dupré, Stephan Güttinger, Anne Sophie Meincke & Dan Nicholson (University of Exeter)

The ERC-funded project ‘A Process Ontology for Contemporary Biology’ (2013-2018) has sought to rethink central issues in the philosophy of biology by elaborating an ontology for biology that takes full account of the processual nature of living systems. The goal has been to develop a concept of process adequate for addressing the multiple levels of interacting processes at different time scales characteristic of living systems. All biological entities can be analysed as stabilised processes relative to an appropriate time scale, and this conception provides a better understanding of familiar biological pluralisms (about genes, organisms, species, etc.) in terms of different ways in which distinct scientific practices intersect with biological processes. A process perspective has been used to shed light on a number of traditional philosophical problems, including individuation, classification, persistence, explanation, essentialism, and reductionism. It has also addressed the consequences of a process perspective for particular areas of contemporary biological and biomedical research.

This final conference will present the main findings of the project and explore the broader consequences of a process ontology for biology, as well as suggest further avenues of future research in the philosophy of biology and metaphysics.

Speakers: Rani Lill Anjum (NMBU), Jane Calvert (Edinburgh), John Dupré (Exeter), Adam Ferner (Royal Institute of Philosophy London), Antony Galton (Exeter), Scott Gilbert (Swarthmore), James Griesemer (UC Davis), Stephan Güttinger (Exeter), Sui Huang (Seattle), Phyllis Illari (UCL), Johannes Jaeger (Klosterneuburg), Spyridon Koutroufinis (TU Berlin), Sabina Leonelli (Exeter), Elisabeth Lloyd (Indiana), Anne Sophie Meincke (Exeter), Dan Nicholson (Exeter), Peter Simons (Trinity College Dublin), Ana Soto (Tufts), Helen Steward (Leeds), Rowland Stout (University College Dublin), Sonia Sultan (Wesleyan), James Wakefield (Exeter), Denis Walsh (Toronto), Kenneth Waters (Calgary).

For more information about the conference, the conference venue and registration please visit the conference website.

The conference programme is also available here.

Please register by 21 February 2018 via the conference website or here.

For questions concerning registration please contact Miss Chee Wong at egenis@exeter.ac.uk.

Submitted by Marie Kaiser (Bielefeld University).

Two PhD positions in Philosophy of Biology (TV-L E13 65%) Deadline for applications: January, 15th, 2018

A collaborative research centre (SFB) has recently been funded by the German Research Foundation for the period 2018 to 2021 to produce a conceptual and empirical synthesis of individualisation across behaviour, ecology and evolution. The SFB consists of 19 projects and integrates empirical and theoretical research in organismal biology with philosophical research on the theoretical assumptions, explanatory strategies and concepts that are central to the SFB, such as the concept of an individualized niche. The SFB will provide exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and academic networking, together with structured training, scientific exchange and early career support programmes. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/biologie/crc212/.

PhD projects in philosophy:

Project D01: Function and fitness – conceptual issues
(PI: Prof. Dr. Ulrich Krohs, University of Muenster, ulrich.krohs@uni-muenster.de)
Adequate explications of the concepts of function and of fitness are still a matter of vivid philosophical debate. The project aims at sharpening the explications by considering the use of the concepts in the new explanatory context of an individualised niche. We will analyse their explanatory roles in theories of niche choice, niche conformance, and niche construction. Besides the in principle-roles, we will also look at explanations resulting from empirical research in the SFB.

Project D02: The ontological status of individualised niches
(PI: J.Prof. Dr. Marie I. Kaiser, Bielefeld University, kaiser.m@uni-bielefeld.de)
The central goal is to explicate what individualised ecological niches are (i.e., what their ontological status is) and how they relate to mechanisms of niche choice, conformance, and construction. This project thus analyses three concepts that play a central role in the SFB: the concept of biological individuality, the concept of an individualised (social) niche, and the concept of an ecological or evolutionary mechanism. The aim is to specify the meaning of these concepts, their ontological presuppositions, and their interrelations.

To apply, please provide: (i) a letter of motivation including a statement of your research interests, motivation and expectation from being part of the SFB; (ii) a CV including information about academic education and degrees, and, where it applies, professional experience, publications, fellowships/awards, conference contributions, and further relevant skills and abilities; (iii) transcript of records; (iv) Master’s thesis abstract; (v) 1-2 letters of recommendation, e.g., from former supervisors.
All materials should be emailed as a single PDF file to ulrich.krohs@uni-muenster.de and to kaiser.m@uni-bielefeld.de. Please specify in your application the project that you would like to apply for. If you wish to apply for more than one project in the SFB, please indicate this in your application. The application deadline is January 15th 2018 and interviews will take place shortly thereafter. After the decision, the positions should start as soon as possible.

Please note that the official advertisements for the positions can be found here:
Project D01: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Rektorat/Stellen/ausschreibungen/st_20171512_sk4.html
Project D02: will be available online soon
General advertisement: will be available online soon

Submitted by Stephan Hartmann (MCMP, LMU Munich).

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The Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) invites applications for several
PhD-Scholarships in Neurophilosophy at the GSN

GSN/MCMP, LMU Munich

http://www.mcmp.philosophie.uni-muenchen.de/news/phd_scholarships_neuro_2017-18/index.html
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The Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN) at LMU Munich invites applications for several PhD scholarships in Neurophilosophy. The GSN is the teaching entity for the Munich Center of Neurosciences – Brain & Mind (MCN). The reasoning and decision-making projects are closely linked to research conducted at the MCMP.

Application period: December 1st 2017 until February 15th 2018

More information can be found on the MCMP Website or the GSN Website.

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

CALL FOR PAPERS (Salzburg, deadline: May 1, 2018)

Salzburg Conference for Young Analytic Philosophy: SOPhiA 2018
September 12 – 14, 2018
Department of Philosophy (Humanities), University of Salzburg, Austria

Aim:
SOPhiA 2018 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:

  • Elisa Aaltola (University of Eastern Finland)
  • Helen Beebee (University of Manchester)
  • Wolfgang Künne (University of Hamburg)

Affiliated workshops:

  • Biological Indiviuality and other Issues in Contemporary Philosophy of Biology (Organizers: Karim Baraghith & Gregor Greslehner, DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf & University of Salzburg)
  • Didactics of Philosophy (Organizer: Bettina Bussmann, University of Salzburg)
  • Epistemic and non-epistemic values in biomedical research (Organizers: Frauke Albersmeier & Alexander Christian, University of Duesseldorf)

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, 2018. Attendees are asked to register at the same site before the conference.

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 2018. 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 2018) to editor@kriterion-journal-of-philosophy.org. Please note that only full papers in English submitted before the general deadline (May 1, 2018) can be considered for the SOPhiA best paper award.

Submission deadline: May 1, 2018
Notification deadline: June 1, 2018
Website: http://sophia-conference.org/

Submitted by David Colaço, University of Pittsburgh.

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for Fellowships supporting visits in the Center for a term or an academic year. The Center has invited William Wimsatt to be the Senior Visiting Fellow for the academic year September 2018 – April 2019. We encourage applications for Postdoctoral and Visiting Fellowships from scholars whose research intersects with Professor Wimsatt’s.

We also invite applications for the academic year September 2019 – April 2020 for the position of Senior Visiting Fellow. Applications are due December 15th.

For details, see:
http://www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr/Joining/joining.htm

Watch “5-Minute Fellows” to see what it is like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fih3V4RUrkM.

Edouard Machery, Director
Center for Philosophy of Science
http://www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr

Submitted by Uljana Feest, University of Hannover.

<<ACHTUNG: VERLÄNGERUNG DER BEWERBUNGSFRIST: 01.12.2017>>

Am Institut für Philosophie der Leibniz Universität Hannover, Lehrstuhl Prof. Uljana Feest, ist eine Stelle als

Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in
(EntgGr. 13 TV-L FwN, 50%)

zum 01.01.2018 oder zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt zu besetzen. Die Stelle ist zunächst auf ein Jahr befristet und kann auf insgesamt drei Jahre verlängert werden.

Aufgaben
Die Stelle dient der individuellen Qualifikation in Form eines philosophischen Promotionsprojekts sowie der allgemeinen Unterstützung der Professur in Forschung und Lehre. Hierzu gehören fachliche Recherche und inhaltliche Zuarbeit, redaktionelle Aufgaben sowie die Begleitung von Prüfungsvorgängen. Die aktive Beteiligung an allgemeinen Arbeitsabläufen des Instituts für Philosophie wird vorausgesetzt. Eigenständige Lehraufgaben sind im Umfang von 2 LVS wahrzunehmen.

Einstellungsvoraussetzungen
Voraussetzung für die Einstellung ist ein überdurchschnittlicher Abschluss des Hochschulstudiums (M.A.) im Fach Philosophie. Ein wissenschaftstheoretischer Fokus sowie gute Englischkenntnisse werden vorausgesetzt. Eine thematische Ausrichtung im Bereich der Philosophie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften oder der Philosophie der Psychologie und Neurowissenschaften sowie Interesse an philosophie- und wissenschaftshistorischen Fragen sind von Vorteil.
Die Leibniz Universität Hannover will die berufliche Gleichberechtigung von Frauen und Männern besonders fördern und fordert deshalb qualifizierte Frauen nachdrücklich auf, sich zu bewerben. Schwerbehinderte Bewerberinnen und Bewerber werden bei gleicher Qualifikation bevorzugt.

Auskünfte erteilt Frau Prof. Dr. Feest (feest@philos.uni-hannover.de).

Bitte richten Sie Ihre Bewerbung mit den üblichen Unterlagen, einer kurzen Darstellung Ihrer letzten Qualifikationsarbeit sowie einer knappen Skizze Ihres Promotionsvorhabens (jeweils ca. 1 Seite) schriftlich bis zum 01.12.2017 an:

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Institut für Philosophie
Frau Prof. Dr. Uljana Feest
Im Moore 21
30167 Hannover

Submitted by Uljana Feest, University of Hannover.

Am Institut für Philosophie der Leibniz Universität Hannover ist eine Stelle als

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin/Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter

(EntgGr. 13 TV-L, 80 – 100%)

zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt, spätestens zum 01.04.2018, zu besetzen. Die Stelle ist zunächst auf zwei Jahre befristet. Der Stellenumfang beträgt zwischen 80% und 100% der regelmäßigen wöchentlichen Arbeitszeit.

Aufgaben
Die Stelle dient der Ergänzung unseres Lehrangebotes im fächerübergreifenden Bachelor und beinhaltet die Mitarbeit in Forschung und Lehre. Eigenständige Lehraufgaben sind je nach Stellenanteil im Umfang von entweder 8 oder 10 SWS wahrzunehmen und sollen insbesondere im Bereich der angewandten Ethik/Bioethik angeboten werden. Zusätzliche Lehrkompetenzen im Bereich der Fachdidaktik wären von Vorteil.

Einstellungsvoraussetzungen
Voraussetzung für die Einstellung ist ein abgeschlossenes Hochschulstudium (Promotion oder Habilitation) im Fach Philosophie. Ein Schwerpunkt in der angewandten Ethik/Bioethik wird erwartet. Didaktisch-methodische Kenntnisse und sehr gute Englischkenntnisse werden vorausgesetzt. Zusätzliche Kompetenzen aus den Bereichen Fachdidaktik, Wissenschaftsphilosophie und/oder Philosophiegeschichte sind wünschenswert.

Auf Wunsch kann eine Teilzeitbeschäftigung ermöglicht werden.

Die Leibniz Universität Hannover will die berufliche Gleichberechtigung von Frauen und Männern besonders fördern und fordert deshalb qualifizierte Frauen nachdrücklich auf, sich zu bewerben.

Schwerbehinderte Bewerberinnen und Bewerber werden bei gleicher Qualifikation bevorzugt.

Bitte richten Sie Ihre Bewerbung mit den üblichen Unterlagen bis zum 15.12.2017 elektronisch an
Email: sekretariat@philos.uni-hannover.de
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Institut für Philosophie
Im Moore 21
30167 Hannover
Für weitere Auskünfte steht Ihnen Frau Professor Dr. Feest (E-Mail: feest@philos.uni-hannover.de) gerne zur Verfügung.

Das Zentrum für Wissenschaftstheorie (ZfW) vergibt für das Sommersemester 2018 bis zu 3 bezahlte

Lehraufträge (2 SWS, Allgemeine Studien)

Die Lehrveranstaltungen sollen einem der drei folgenden Bereiche zugeordnet werden: (1) Einführende Veranstaltungen zur Wissenschaftstheorie, (2) Vertiefungsveranstaltungen zur allgemeinen Wissenschaftstheorie, (3) Seminare zur speziellen Wissenschaftstheorie (z. B. zur Wissenschaftstheorie der Physik, Psychologie, Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften etc.).

BewerberInnen sollten

  • über einen qualifizierten Hochschulabschluss und über grundlegende Kompetenzen in einem der genannten Lehrbereiche verfügen.
  • bereit sein, eigenständig Seminarkonzepte zu entwerfen und den besonderen Bedürfnissen der Studierenden in den Allgemeinen Studien anzupassen.

Besonders erwünscht sind Bewerbungen von nicht nur philosophisch, sondern auch natur-, kultur- oder sozialwissenschaftlich ausgewiesenen AbsolventInnen.

Bewerbungen mit den üblichen Unterlagen (Lebenslauf, Zeugnisse) sowie einem kurzen Seminarkonzept (max. 1 Seite) sind bis zum 23.10.2017 an Dr. Markus Seidel (markus.seidel@wwu.de) zu richten.

Infos: http://www.uni-muenster.de/Wissenschaftstheorie