Call for Abstracts: International Conference on Engaging Ethics and Epistemology in Science (EES 2022)

Deadline extended! New deadline is January 15th, 2022.

The 2-day international conference aims to bring together experienced and early-career researchers, including PhD candidates, working in the field of philosophy of science and ethics of science.

We invite papers which focus on bridging the gap between epistemological and ethical or political approaches as well as theoretical and material approaches to philosophy of science. Many important questions concerning the role of science in society and its ability to contribute to policy debates require integrating political, ethical, material, and epistemological perspectives on science.

The conference will consist of parallel sessions integrating talks by invited speakers and those who submit papers. We especially encourage submissions from PhD candidates and other early-career researchers. Talks will be approximately 25 minutes with 15 minutes for Q&A.

We are very pleased that the following invited speakers have accepted our invitation:
Sabina Leonelli (Exeter University)
Kristen Intemann (Montana State University)
Tarja Knuuttila (University of Vienna)
Anna Leuschner (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)
Liam Kofi Bright (London School of Economics)
Kevin Elliott (Michigan State University)

We are looking for contributions from fields of research such as:

  • Values in Science: Under what conditions do non-epistemic values legitimately influence scientific and technological research? How can we adjudicate the moral or political legitimacy of non-epistemic value influences in particular cases of research?
  • Social Epistemology of Science: What is the best arrangement of scientific communities for knowledge production? Are different arrangements best for different epistemic goals? How does social diversity among scientists influence epistemic practices?
  • ** Science in a Democratic Society**: How do the principles of democratic and scientific institutions complement or conflict with each other? Ought scientific research be participatory (i.e., ‘citizen science’ or ‘community science’)?
  • Trust in Science and Science Communication: What form of trust between scientific communities and public groups are required for science in a democratic society?
  • Socially Responsible Research and Innovation: What kind of ethical problems are posed by scientific and industry research? How should dual-use research be evaluated and regulated?
  • Uncertainty and Explainability: How do values play a role in mitigating or reducing epistemic uncertainty? Does increasing the explainability of scientific models reduce uncertainty?
  • Objectivity in Science: Ought science be objective and in what sense? By what procedures can we improve or evaluate the objectivity of science?
  • Philosophy of Experimentation: What epistemological strategies are useful in concept formation and the development of new methodologies? How does the material culture of science impact the construction of models or assessment of theories?

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Climate science
  • AI and machine learning research and applications
  • Application-focused or industry research
  • Medical and psychiatric classification
  • Public health policy decisions

The deadline has been extended. Abstracts should be submitted by January 15th, 2022. Abstracts should be between 400 and 600 words (including references). Members of groups that are underrepresented in philosophy are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions, please contact the organizers at eesconference@philos.uni-hannover.de.

We are anticipating being able to provide childcare for those who need it. More details will be available closer to the conference date.

This Call for Papers closed on 2022-01-15 23:59 (Europe/Berlin).