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The GWP is especially interested in supporting and promoting young academics in the field of philosophy of science. For this reason the GWP offers the following possibilities for financial support to PhD students and researchers at the postdoc-level (without tenure) as well as advanced students:

Die GWP ist besonders daran interessiert, den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs im Bereich der Wissenschaftsphilosophie zu fördern und zu unterstützen. Aus diesem Grund bietet die GWP folgende Möglichkeiten der finanziellen Unterstützung von Doktorand/innen und Forscher auf Postdoc-level (ohne feste Stelle) sowie fortgeschrittenen Studierenden:

Conference VisitsTagungsbesuche

The GWP supports young academics with the following funding for conference visits:

  • Financial support for participating in a national or international philosophy of science conference—the participant has to be listed in the conference program.
  • Reimbursement of conference fees for students who are visiting a philosophy of science conference out of interest.

Die GWP unterstützt den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs durch folgende Förderungen von Tagungsbesuchen:

  • Finanzielle Beihilfe zum Besuch nationaler und internationaler wissenschaftstheoretischer Tagungen, bei denen die betreffende Person auf dem Programm steht.
  • Erstattung von Tagungsgebühren für Studierende, die interessehalber eine wissenschaftstheoretische Konferenz besuchen wollen.

We sponsor conference visits with up to 250EUR.

Wir fördern Tagungsbesuche mit bis zu 250EUR.

Organisation of a WorkshopWorkshoporganisation

Financial support and assistance in organising workshops about specific topics of philosophy of science. The workshop can be either a youth satellite workshop at one of the GWP conferences or take place independently of the GWP.

Finanzielle Unterstützung und Beihilfe zur Organisation von Workshops zu spezifischen wissenschaftstheoretischen Themen, wobei diese entweder als Nachwuchsworkshops den GWP-Tagungen angegliedert oder unabhängig von der GWP abgehalten werden können.

We sponsor workshops with up to 500EUR.

Wir fördern Workshops mit bis zu 500EUR.

Application for funding of conference visits should include the following documents and should be submitted three months in advance to the event:Anträge zur Förderung von Tagungsbeteiligungen enthalten folgende Dokumente und sollten mindestens drei Monate vor Veranstaltungsbeginn eingereicht werden:

  • Letter of Motivation (Cover Letter)Motivationsschreiben (Anschreiben)

    Briefly summarise all information about your application (Event, Date, Location, Nature of participation) and explain why the committee should support your proposal.Fassen Sie hier kurz alle Informationen zu Ihrem Antrag (Veranstaltung, Zeitraum, Ort, Art der Beteiligung etc.) zusammen und nennen Sie Gründe, weshalb Sie die von Ihnen geplante Tagungsteilnahme für GWP-förderwürdig halten.

  • Study InterestsStudieninteressen

    Undergrad applicants should briefly summarise their own topics of interest (if applicable attach an academic CV).Bei einem Antrag von Studierenden (pre-Doc) stellen Sie bitte kurz die eigenen Interessen dar (gegebenenfalls können Sie auch einen akademischen CV beischließen).

  • Cost OverviewKostenübersicht

    List approximate expected costs; name all other funding sources; name the funding requested from the GWPAuflistung der ungefähr zu erwarteten Kosten; Angabe von weiteren Finanzierungsansuchen; Angabe der bei der GWP beantragten Kosten

  • Demonstration of NeedBegründung der Notwendigkeit

    In case the applying junior member holds a temporary position, please provide a short justification why the expenses of the participation are not covered by financial means of the position.Im Falle, dass der Antrag von einem Nachwuchsmitglied mit befristeter Stelle eingereicht wird, begründen Sie bitte kurz, weshalb die Tagungsbeteiligung nicht mit den Ihrer Stelle zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln finanziert werden kann.


Please compile these documents in a PDF file and submit your application to the GWP via e-mail.Bitte fassen Sie diese Dokumente in einer PDF-Datei zusammen und reichen Sie den Antrag per E-Mail an die GWP ein.


Application for funding of workshops should include the following documents and should be submitted three months in advance to the event:Anträge zur Förderung von Workshops enthalten folgende Dokumente und sollten mindestens drei Monate vor Veranstaltungsbeginn eingereicht werden:

  • Letter of Motivation (Cover Letter)Motivationsschreiben (Anschreiben)

    Briefly summarise all information about your application and explain why the committee should support your proposal.Fassen Sie hier kurz Ihren Antrag zusammen und nennen Sie Gründe, weshalb Sie die von Ihnen geplante Veranstaltung für GWP-förderwürdig halten.

  • Proposal with ...Förderantrag mit ...
    1. General information: Workshop title, Title of the umbrella event (in case of a satellite workshop), List of organisers (please highlight the members of the GWP and the applicant), Venue, and Date
    2. List of invited speakers (with information as to whether they have already been invited etc.)
    3. Abstract: short description of the topic and goals of the event
    4. Preliminary program and schedule (very general)
    5. Short overview of the status of planing
    1. Allgemeinen Informationen: Workshop-Titel, Rahmenveranstaltung (im Falle eines Satellitworkshops etc.), Liste der Organisatoren (Kennzeichnung der GWP-Mitglieder und Förderantragssteller), Ort und Datum
    2. Liste von eingeladenen Sprechern (mit Statusinformation ob bereits angefragt wurde etc.)
    3. Abstract: kurze Beschreibung des Themas der Veranstaltung und der Ziele
    4. Vorläufiges Programm und vorläufiger Zeitplan (sehr allgemein)
    5. Kurze Übersicht zum Stand der Planung
  • Cost OverviewKostenübersicht

    List approximate expected costs; name all other funding sources; name the funding requested from the GWPAuflistung der ungefähr zu erwarteten Kosten; Angabe von weiteren geplanten Fördereinnahmen; Angabe der bei der GWP beantragten Kosten

  • Demonstration of NeedBegründung der Notwendigkeit

    In case the applying junior member holds a temporary position, please provide a short justification why the expenses of the event are not covered by financial means of the position.Im Falle, dass der Antrag von einem Nachwuchsmitglied mit befristeter Stelle eingereicht wird, begründen Sie bitte kurz, weshalb die Veranstaltung nicht mit den Ihrer Stelle zur Verfügung stehenden Mitteln finanziert werden kann.


Please compile these documents in a PDF file and submit your application to the GWP via e-mail.Bitte fassen Sie diese Dokumente in einer PDF-Datei zusammen und reichen Sie den Antrag per E-Mail an die GWP ein.

Terms & Conditions

Allgemeine Konditionen

  • Only junior members of the GWP without permanent position will be funded.
  • In case of workshop funding at least one member of the organising committee should also be a member of the GWP.
  • Since only a limited budget is available, financial aid can not always be guaranteed.
  • Applications for financial aid can be submitted to the GWP at any time and must include the necessary documents (see the list above).
  • In order to receive the financial support, a short report on the conference or workshop as well as the original receipts have to be handed in.
  • The financial aid can only be paid upon receipt of the previously mentioned documents (report and original receipts). Cash forward is not possible.
  • Gefördert werden ausschließlich Nachwuchsmitglieder der GWP ohne feste Stelle.
  • Im Falle der Workshop-Förderung sollte dem Organisations-Komitee mindestens ein GWP-Mitglied angehören.
  • Da leider nur ein begrenztes Budget für die Nachwuchsförderung zur Verfügung steht, kann eine finanzielle Unterstützung auch bei sehr vielversprechenden Anträgen nicht immer gewährleistet werden.
  • Anträge auf Förderung können jederzeit an die GWP gerichtet werden und sollten unbedingt ausreichende Dokumentation (siehe obige Listen) enthalten.
  • Zum Erhalt der Fördermittel müssen ein kurzer Bericht zur Tagungsbeteiligung bzw. zum organisierten Workshop sowie alle Belege im Original bei der GWP eingereicht werden.
  • Die Fördermittel können erst nach Eingang des Berichtes und Erhalt der Originalbelege ausgezahlt werden. Eine Vorfinanzierung ist leider nicht möglich.

The GWP sponsors and supports event which are organised by junior members or held in cooperation with other philosophical societies. Please find here a list of GWP financed, co-financed, or organisational supported events.
Die GWP sponsort und unterstützt Veranstaltungen, die von Nachwuchsmitgliedern organisiert werden oder in Kooperation mit anderen philosophischen Gesellschaften abgehalten werden. Sie finden hier eine Liste der durch die GWP finanzierten, mitfinanzierten oder einfach organisatorisch unterstützten Veranstaltungen.

2022

Epistemic Responsibility in the Context of Scientific Inquiry

  • Date and venue: September 12, 2022, GAP-GWP-Satellite Workshop, HU Berlin
  • Speakers:
    • Will Fleisher (North­eastern)
    • Kristina Rolin (Tampere University)
    • Dunja Šešelja (TU Eindhoven)
  • Organiser: Dunja Šešelja (Eindhoven).

Minimal Metaphysics or Minimal Anti-Metaphysics?

  • Date and venue: September 9-10, 2022, University of Konstanz
  • Speakers:
    • Anjan Chakravartty
    • Michael Esfeld
    • Andreas Hüttemann
    • James Ladyman
    • Michela Massimi
    • Alyssa Ney
  • Organiser: Tobias Henschen (Konstanz).

Conventions in Science: conceptual, epistemic and ethical perspectives

  • Date and venue: September 8, 2022, Workshop, SOPhiA.2022: University of Salzburg
  • Speakers:
    • Quill R Kukla (Georgetown University)
  • Organiser: Ina Jäntgen, Charlotte Zemmel (Cambridge), Ahmad Elabbar (Cambridge).

Philosophy of Mathematics Beyond the Armchair?!

  • Date and venue: August 22-26, 2022, Summer School, University of Duesseldorf
  • Speakers:
    • Bernhard Fisseni (Duisburg-Essen)
    • Karen François (CLPS, Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
    • Mikkel Willum Johansen (Copenhagen)
    • Benedikt Löwe (Amsterdam, Cambridge, Hamburg)
    • Ursula Martin (Edinburgh & Oxford)
    • Helena Mihaljević (HTW Berlin)
    • Rik Pinxten (UGhent)
    • Bernhard Schröder (Duisburg-Essen)
    • Henrik Kragh Sørensen (Copenhagen)
    • Eric Vandendriessche (SPHERE, Paris)
    • Roy Wagner (ETH Zurich)
    • Pascale Willemsen (University of Zurich)
  • Organisers: Paul Hasselkuß (Düsseldorf), Deborah Kant (Hamburg), and Deniz Sarikaya (Vrije Universiteit Brussel).

GWP.2022-Satelliten-Workshop zur Philosophie der Physik

  • Date and venue: August 16-18, 2022, Workshop, TU Berlin
  • Speakers:
    • Maren Bräutigam (Cologne)
    • Anjan Chakravartty (Miami)
    • Brigitte Falkenburg (Berlin)
    • Axel Gelfert (Berlin)
    • Saana Jukola (Bonn)
    • Qiu Lin (Duke)
  • Organiser: Niels Linnemann (Bremen), Kian Salimkhani (Cologne).

Klimaforschung zwischen Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft: Neue Ansätze in der Wissenschaftsphilosophie und Klimaethik

  • Date and venue: May 13, 2022, Workshop, Bielefeld University
  • Speakers:
    • Anna Leuschner (Wuppertal)
    • Mathias Frisch (Hannover)
    • Constanze Schmidt (Wuppertal)
    • Christian Baatz (Kiel)
  • Organiser: Philipp Haueis (Bielefeld University).

2021

No funding of events due to the CORONA pandemic.

2020

Biological Functions. From Zebra Stripes to Synapses

  • Date and venue: January 31-February 1, 2020, Book Symposium, Bielefeld University
  • Speakers:
    • Joe Dewurst (LMU Munich)
    • Fabian Hundertmark (Bielefeld University)
    • Marie Kaiser (Bielefeld University)
    • Ulrich Krohs (University of Münster)
    • Behzad Nematipour (University of Münster)
    • Peter Schulte (University of Zurich)
  • Organisers: Fabian Hundertmark (Bielefeld), Behzad Nematipour (Münster)

2019

Text Driven Approaches to the Philosophy of Mathematics

  • Date and venue: August 7, 2019, Contributed Symposium to the Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology (CLMPST), Prague, August 5-10, 2019
  • Speakers and Talks:
    • Anna Steensen: Semiotic analysis of Dedekind’s arithmetical strategies
    • Bernhard Fisseni: Perspectives on Proofs
    • Marcos Cramer, Bernhard Fisseni, Deniz Sarikaya and Bernhard Schröder: Bridging the Gap Between Proof Texts and Formal Proofs Using Frames and PRSs.
    • Karl Heuer and Deniz Sarikaya: Text-driven variation as a vehicle for generalisation, abstraction, proofs and refutations: an example about tilings and Escher within mathematical education.
    • Mikkel Willum Johansen: Entering the valley of formalism: Results from a large-scale quantitative investigation of mathematical publications
    • Juan Luis Gastaldi and Luc Pellissier: A structuralist framework for the automatic analysis of mathematical texts.
    • Fanner Stanley Tanswell and Matthew Inglis : Studying Actions and Imperatives in Mathematical Texts.
    • Juan Pablo Mejía-Ramos and Matthew Inglis: Using linguistic corpora to understand mathematical explanation.
  • Organisers: Carolin Antos (University of Konstanz), Deborah Kant (University of Konstanz) and Deniz Sarikaya (University of Hamburg)

Measurement in Cognitive Science

  • Date and venue: June 5-6, 2019, Ruhr University Bochum
  • Speakers:
    • Ann-Sophie Barwich (Bloomington)
    • Hasok Chang (Cambridge)
    • Lorenza S. Colzato (Leiden/Bochum)
    • Jan de Ruiter (Tufts)
    • Alistair Isaac (Edinburgh)
    • Insa Lawler (Bochum)
    • Edouard Machery (Pittsburgh)
    • Joel Michell (Sydney)
  • Organisers: Insa Lawler (Ruhr University Bochum) and Edouard Machery (University of Pittsburgh)

Joint GAP-GWP-Colloquium: Deep Learning and the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

  • Date and venue: February 26, 2019, GWP.2019, University of Cologne
  • Speakers:
    • Cameron Buckner (University of Houston): Empiricism without Magic – Transformational abstraction in Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
    • Hajo Greif (Technical University of Munich and Warsaw University of Technology): On not Opening the Black Box. Transparency, Opacity, and the Pragmatics of Artificial Intelligence
    • Carlos Zednik (University Magdeburg): The Black Box Problem and the Norms of Explainable AI
  • Organiser: Holger Lyre (University of Magdeburg)

2018

Joint GAP-GWP-Colloquium: Belief Aggregation and Epistemic Diversity in Science

  • Date and venue: September 18, 2018, GAP10, University of Cologne
  • Speakers:
    • Christian List (LSE, UK): Arrow’s Theorem in Social and Individual Epistemology
    • Stephan Hartmann (MCMP, LMU Munich, Germany): Deliberation, Epistemic Diversity and the Anchoring Effect
    • Jan-Willem Romeijn (University of Groningen, The Netherlands): Are There Laws of Nature in Physics?
  • Comments:
    • Vlasta Sikimic (University of Belgrade, Serbia)
    • Corina Strößner (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf, Germany)
  • Organiser: Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla & Gerhard Schurz (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf)

2017

Joint DGPhil-GWP-Colloquium: Why Laws of Nature?

  • Date and venue: September 25, 2017, DGPhil 2017, HU Berlin
  • Speakers:
    • Andreas Bartels (University of Bonn): Iron Laws – What Makes Them Iron?
    • Lisa Downing (Ohio State University): The Rise of Laws of Nature in Early Modern Natural Philosophy
    • Matthias Frisch (University of Hannover): Are There Laws of Nature in Physics?
  • Organiser: Andreas Hüttemann (University of Cologne)

2016

 

Dispositions in Action: Laws of Nature, Explanation and Modality

  • Date and venue: September 7, 2016, SOPhiA 2016, University of Salzburg
  • Speakers:
    • Florian Fischer (University of Bonn): Dispositional nomological necessity
    • Andreas Bartels (University of Bonn): Between contingency and necessity of laws — Armstrong revisited
    • Andreas Hüttemann (University of Cologne): Conditional metaphysical necessity and the role of dispositions in scientific practice
    • Antje Rumberg (University of Konstanz): Potentialities for branching time
    • Ludger Jansen (University of Bochum): Dispositions and the scientific explanation of actions
  • Organiser: Florian Fischer (University of Bonn)

Equivalence and Reduction of Scientific Theories

  • Date and venue: September 7, 2016, SOPhiA 2016, University of Salzburg
  • Speakers:
    • James Weatherall (Irvine): Theoretical Structure and Theoretical Equivalence
    • Thomas Barrett (Princeton): Equivalent and Inequivalent Formulations of Classical Mechanics
    • Sarita Rosenstock (Irvine): Categories and the Foundations of Yang-Mills Theory
    • Laurenz Hudetz (Salzburg): Definable Categorical Equivalence and Reduction
    • Hajnal Andréka & István Németi: Adventures in the Network of Theories
  • Organiser: Laurenz Hudetz (University of Salzburg)

Joint SPS-GWP-Symposium: From Genetics to Culture — Lines, Gaps and Bridges

  • Date and venue: March 8, 2016, GWP.2016, University of Duesseldorf
  • Short abstract: This symposium approaches the main theme of the conference — Philosophy of science between natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities — by questioning the possible line that can be drawn when considering genetics, epigenetics, development and cultural evolution.Coming from different and, for the main aim of this symposium, complementary backgrounds, the first part of the symposium is about epigenetics and the explanation of development. After considering epigenetic research in more detail and highlighting that there is no such thing as a genetic program for development, it will be nonetheless argued that nothing fundamental has changed in the way biologists explain this process — that is, reductively. In a nutshell, the complexity of development and its phenotypic outcome are not explained by investigating the causal mechanisms involved; rather it is by reference to the information coded in the DNA sequence in combination with epigenetic marks that development is explained. However, this first part of the symposium will end by evaluating to what extent the discussed empirical facts and future scientific progress could (and should) lead to a more comprehensive and non-reductionist view on organisms undergoing developmental phases.This question and discussion will then picked up and further developed in the second part of the symposium where the guiding question is that of the in principle limits of reductive explanations. After outlining the general arguments in favor of the extreme reductionist position — that there are no limits — two main objections are identified in discussed by means of genetic examples. The first concerns the commonly known multiple realization objection enabling certain non-reductive explanations to compete convincingly with reductive explanations. As shall be explained in detail, such a move comes at high philosophical costs. The second concerns the question whether the rather new debate on complex systems and thus the complexity of genetic networks provide another and more convincing argument against the in principle reductionist hubris that is defended here in the first place.Against the background of this balanced analysis — making the reductionist and antireductionist framework as strong as possible –, the third part of the symposium is then able to add another layer required for addressing the main theme of the conference: when considering humans and social utilities, it becomes clear that cultural evolution is partly independent from the genetic level and that our interests (and thus choices) do not always track the evolutionary advantage — even if this independence has evolutionary origins at the genetic level. One of the questions then is whether such facts can be, once again, rather seen as in the case of epigenetics and development where arguably nothing fundamental has changed (since the explanation of development is ‘simply’ based on a combination of genetic information and other relevant factors). Or whether — notably because of the difference in the notion of “function” — no such combination is available, which then leads to a (further) constraint of reductionist approaches.
  • Speakers:
    • Francesca Merlin (IHPST): Epigenetics and the Explanation of Development: The Mirage of Moving Beyond Reductionism
    • Christian Sachse (University of Lausanne): Possible Limits of Reductive Explanations
    • Cédric Paternotte (MCMP, LMU Munich): Information and the Evolution of Social Preferences
  • Organiser: Christian Sachse (University of Lausanne)

2015

 

Joint GAP-GWP-Colloquium: Meta2physics: Analytic versus Naturalized Metaphysics

  • Date and venue: September 15, 2015, GAP.9, University of Osnabrueck
  • Short abstract: The goal of this colloquium is to explore the relation between science and metaphysics and to shed light on the methods and potential of analytic and naturalized metaphysics.Traditionally, metaphysics has been seen as the inquiry into what lies behind or comes before experience, yet, which nonetheless concerns the fundamental structure of reality. However, because metaphysical claims seem not to be empirically testable, the meaningfulness of metaphysics has been contested ever since the classical empiricists, culminating in 20th century logical empiricism which denounced metaphysics as nonsensical altogether. Logical empiricism is also one of the forebears of modern philosophy of science; yet, ironically, some present day philosophers of science have again turned emphatically towards metaphysical reasoning and propose grand (speculative) systems in order to answer questions like what is a law of nature, what are natural kinds, what is causation, etc.In the last decades analytic metaphysics has come under fire again and has been critically evaluated. Philosophers have started to debate which kind of metaphysics is and which is not allowed. The relationship between metaphysics and science plays a special role in this debate. In fact, more than a few philosophers today believe that science provides the safest guide to modern metaphysics. Some even go so far as to claim that metaphysics should be naturalized. On the other hand, science and scientific reasoning themselves sometimes seem to be in need of support from metaphysical reasoning.The colloquium focusses on the particular interconnections between metaphysics and science and critically assesses the sources, methods, and guidelines that are proposed as being acceptable for metaphysics in recent literature. Particular questions of interest are:
    • In the face of scientific advances, is it still reasonable to be concerned with metaphysical questions? Are philosophical discussions of composition, parthood, and persistence worthwhile, or is preoccupation with such topics empty and sterile?
    • What, if anything, can science contribute to metaphysics? Which metaphysical issues find counterparts in science? Are all metaphysical debates resolvable by appeal to science? If not, what characterizes the debates that are?
    • Which special sciences can metaphysicians drawn upon, and which should be employed (e.g. fundamental physics, social science, linguistics)? Is the prevalence of physical theories in current attempts at establishing a naturalistic metaphysics justifiable?
    • What, if anything, does metaphysics contribute to science? Does science profit from metaphysical reflection? Is metaphysics helpful with respect to the proper interpretation of scientific theories? Is it necessary to this task? What kinds of metaphysical claims does science support?
    • What, if any, is the legitimate role of appeal to intuitions in metaphysical method? What kinds of intuitions should be employed, everyday intuitions or intuitions that derive from scientific (linguistic) practice?
  • Speakers:
    • Stephen French (Leeds University): Toying with the Toolbox: How Metaphysics Can (Still) Make a Contribution
    • Katherine Hawley (University of St. Andrews): Social Metaphysics and Social Science
    • Holger Lyre (University of Magdeburg) & Markus Schrenk (University of Duesseldorf): Introduction
    • Tobias Rosefeldt (Humboldt University Berlin): The Linguistic Turn
  • Organisers: Holger Lyre (University of Magdeburg), Thomas Reydon (University of Hannover), Oliver R. Scholz (University of Muenster), Markus Schrenk (University of Duesseldorf), Julia F. Göhner (University of Muenster)

Workshop: Risk Assessment and Values in Science

  • Date and venue: September 2, 2015, University of Salzburg
  • Short abstract: It is an important task of science to provide means and information for applying decision making procedures to everyday life. A controversially discussed sub-task within this area consists in providing value judgements that allow one, e.g., to figure out maximal expected utilities or an adequate way of drawing qualitative conclusions from statistical tests for such decisions. This debate about the permissiveness of or even a duty for value judgements in science has lasted for more than a century now and is, due to recently rekindled proposals for the value-ladenness of science, still unsettled. The main aims of this workshop are: (i) to provide a historical and systematic overview of the value-neutrality and value-ladenness problem, (ii) to relate the results to concrete constraints of risk assessment, and (iii) to apply the latter results to intensively discussed decisions under risk in areas of public interest as, e.g., climate-, food- and geosciences as well as medicine.
  • Speakers:
    • Alexander Christian (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf): The Suppression of Medical Evidence
    • Giovanna Cultrera (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Roma): Science in a Criminal Trial: The L’Aquila Case
    • Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf): A Historical and Systematic Overview of the Debate about Values in Science
    • Wolfgang Kneifel (BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna): Food Safety Risks: Is there a Balance Between Facts and Perception?
    • Gerhard Schurz (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf): Error Probabilties, Rational Acceptance and the Role of Values
    • Charlotte Werndl (University of Salzburg & London School of Economics): Model Selection Theory Applied to Climate Science: the Need for a More Nuanced View on Use-Novelty
  • Organiser: Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf)

2014

 

Fourth Sino-German Symposium on Philosophy of Science and Technology: How to Shape the Technological Future – Chinese and German Perspectives

  • Date and venue: September 12–14, 2014, Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Bielefeld
  • Short abstract: The conference is supposed to address the question which kind of research in the natural sciences is suitable to promoting technological progress. This question concerns the impact of fundamental research and application-oriented research in generating practically useful research outcome. Such research may proceed either in a theory-guided way or by addressing concrete practical problems. On the first option, broad epistemic research is most likely to produce progress on practically significant problems, while in the latter framework, higher-level theories are assumed to be unable to account for the details of experience and the burden of explanation is expected to be borne by unfounded approximations, auxiliary assumptions and corrections. The corresponding research heuristics suggests meeting practical challenges by conducting targeted, narrowly focused research. The history of science contains examples for both these claims. Such examples were discussed at the conference. The aim was to explore their historical impact and to seek to understand the historical case-studies philosophically in a more coherent way. The topic was addressed in a Chinese-German framework. The question which research heuristics can be expected to be practically useful is particularly urgent in present-day China. Moreover, historical parallels exist between the German situation in the later nineteenth century and the situation China faces today.
  • Speakers:
    • Anke Büter (University of Hannover): Validity in Psychiatric Classification
    • Wang Bufan (Shanghai): Skillful Knowledge and Its Growth
    • Martin Carrier (University of Bielefeld): The Topical Framework of the Conference
    • Sumei Cheng (Shanghai): The Four Patterns of Development of Technology
    • Michael Eckert (Munich): Engineering Problems as a Proving Ground for Fundamental Theories of Fluid Mechanics: the Case of Skin Friction
    • Zaiqing Fang (Peking): Technological Innovation: From the Perspective of Sociology of Culture
    • Xiaonan Hong (Dalian City): Nano-ST Possibility Analysis towards Society Influence
    • Paul Hoyningen-Huene (University of Hannover): Why is Modern Science Technically Exploitable?
    • Xiaotao Liu (Shanghai): Basic Research of Social Sciences in China’s Science and Technology Policy
    • Alfred Nordmann (TU Darmstadt): Beyond Friction: The Objects of Technoscientific Platonism
    • Wolfgang Pietsch (TU Munich): Data-intensive Science as a New Approach for Dealing with Causal Complexity
    • Friedrich Steinle (Berlin): On some Problems of the Dichotomy of Basic and Application Oriented Research: the Case of Electricity
    • Tianen Wang (Shanghai): A New Perspective on the Shape of the Technological Future: Inspiration from the Chinese and German Ways
    • Qian Wang (Dalian City): The Significance of “Horizon” in Scientific Cognitive Activities
    • Liyun Zhou (Shanghai): The Social Shaping of Technology and its Impact on the Technological Development of China
    • Huijuan Zhu (Peking): The Dilemmas of Outsiders: Classical Physics and Pure Science in the Early 20th Century in Germany
  • Organisers: Martin Carrier (University of Bielefeld), Holger Lyre (University of Magdeburg)

Social Epistemology and Joint Action in Science

  • Date and venue: September 4, 2014, University of Salzburg
  • Short abstract: One way of joint action in science consists in overcoming disagreements about the validity of statements by aggregating the single points of view to a joint one. Within this workshop the general conditions for such a joint action will be discussed by providing (i) some desiderata for- and consequences of an optimal aggregation method, followed by (ii) the presentation of a fine-grained way of aggregating single points of view to a joint one, and (iii) combine (i) and (ii) for an optimization of joint action in science. In (iv) the investigation is expanded to differences and bridge principles between quantitative (as used in (i)–(iii)) and qualitative modes of belief.Paul Thorn will present a meta-inductivist solution to Hume’s problem of induction within the so-called best-alternative approach on induction. Meta-induction is a specific method of strategy selection which is to be shown optimal (not maximal and of course also not success-determined, hence only best amongst the available alternatives) in the long run within a prediction setting. This new approach to the traditional problem of induction bears also a number of implications for problems in social epistemology. Amongst others, Thorn will show by means of simulations which conclusions one might draw for epistemological group performance evaluation.In the second talk Anna-Maria Eder argues that standard monistic Bayesian approaches to cases of so-called doxastic disagreement, i.e. disagreement amongst epistemic agents in their evaluation of the validity or probability of some proposition, are philosophically inappropriate. She will show then that in pluralistic Bayesianism by keeping confirmation commitments and the grasped evidence separated, an aggregation and revision of epistemic belief states in light of disagreement becomes philosophically more appropriate.The third talk will be given by Peter Brössel and Christian J. Feldbacher. They show how the meta-inductive approach—presented by Thorn—and pluralistic Bayesianism—as presented by Eder—can be combined in order to make the latter position even more stronger in solving problems of joint action in science.In the fourth talk Cédric Paternotte expands the investigation of the first three talks by addressing the problem of bridging quantitative modes of belief to qualitative ones and vice versa. Besides results of formal investigations in this field he will also present some results about the influence of pragmatic factors as, e.g., the degree of publicity of events or the number of supporters of a specific hypothesis.
  • Speakers:
    • Peter Brössel (University of Bochum) & Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf): The Veritistic Value of Social Practices in Science: Peer Disagreement
    • Anna-Maria Asunta Eder (University of Duisburg-Essen): Disagreement and Division of Labour
    • Cédric Paternotte (MCMP, LMU Munich): Common Belief: Plain and Probabilistic
    • Paul Thorn (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf): Wise Crowds, Clever Meta-Inductivists
  • Organiser: Christian J. Feldbacher-Escamilla (DCLPS, University of Duesseldorf)