August 23–25, 2007

The Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice organized its first biennial congress at the campus of the University of Twente, The Netherlands.

Book of Abstracts (PDF)

Call for papers

Please send an abstract of 500 words, and full contact information to Katinka Waelbers This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For further information on organisation and registration see our website

Deadline for submission: 1 March 2007.

The Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) aims to bring together a community of scholars that approach topics in the philosophy of science from the perspective of scientific practice. For further details on our objectives, see our mission statement at http://www.gw.utwente.nl/spsp/

The first SPSP biennial conference is intended as a broad agenda-setting forum for scholars who are committed to making detailed and systematic studies of scientific practice without dismissing concerns about truth and rationality, or ignoring contextual and pragmatic factors. We welcome contributions from not only philosophers, but also historians and sociologists of science, pure and applied scientists, and any others with an interest in philosophical questions regarding scientific practice.

In addition to keynote lectures by invited speakers, the conference will feature parallel sessions in which contributed papers will be presented. In this first biennial conference, we are aiming for a broad and diverse programme that will demonstrate the range of already existing work; subsequent conferences may be organised around more focused themes.

We particularly welcome contributions on the following list of interconnected topics; however, other topics are by no means excluded.

  • Problem-solving and scientific research
  • The role of models in scientific practice
  • Instruments in relation to theory and experiment
  • Computer experiments and simulations
  • Explanation and understanding in scientific practice
  • Epistemology, ethics, and theory of action
  • Values in science, technology and medicine
  • Methodology in various sciences: similarities and differences
  • Historical development of scientific practices

Keynotes: Full Papers

Introduction

Philosophy of science has traditionally focused on the relation between scientific theories and the world, at the risk of disregarding scientific practice. In social studies of science and technology, the predominant tendency has been to pay attention to scientific practice and its relation to theories, sometimes wilfully disregarding the world except as a product of social construction. Both approaches have their merits, but they each offer only a limited view, neglecting some essential aspects of science. We advocate a philosophy of scientific practice, based on an analytic framework that takes into consideration theory, practice and the world simultaneously.

Conference Programme

Last updated: August 20, 2007

WEDNESDAY August 22

 

17.30-19.30

Informal get-together. (Drienerbrught Conference Hotel at the Campus, possibility for early registration)

 
 

THURSDAY August 23

 

09.00-10.30

REGISTRATION (Drienerburght Hotel)

 

09.30-09.45

Opening by Mieke Boon (Amphi Theatre)

 

09.45-10.00

Opening by Henk Zijm, Rector University of Twente (Amphi Theatre)

 

10.00-11.00

Hasok Chang: The Philosophical Grammar of Scientific Practice (Amphi Theatre) Chair: Mieke Boon

 

11.00-11.30

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

 

11.30-13.00

Ethics (room A, Drienerburght)
Chair: Adam Briggle

Theory choice (room B, Drienerb.)

Chair: Isabelle Peschard

Symposium 1

(Amphi Theatre)

Down to Earth, Philosophy of the Geosciences

Organization:
Maarten G. Kleinhans
Speakers:
Henk W. de Regt
Maarten G. Kleinhans
Derek Turner
Robert Inkpen
 

11.30

Clemens Driessen

Participation or demarcation? Animal science and animal ethics in action.

Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis

Practices of mathematization

 

12.00

Justus Lentsch

Promoting Responsible Science for Advising Public Policy.

Shaul Katzir

The choice between explanatory and descriptive theories in photoelectricity and piezoelectricity

 

12.30

Hanne Andersen

Demarcating misconduct from misinterpretations and mistakes

Frans Birrer

"Acceptance" as a notion for understanding the practice of science”

 

13.00-14.00

Lunch (Drienerburght) / Meeting Sc. Models Network (on invitation, room G)

 

14.00-15.30

Evidence (room A)
Chair: Marcel Boumans

Causality (room B)

Chair: Tarja Knuuttilla

Symposium 2

(Amphi Theatre)

Challenging the Hierarchy of Evidence

Organization:

Robyn Bluhm

Speakers:
Robyn Bluhm
Kirstin Borgerson Maya Goldenberg<
 

14.00

Jacqueline Sullivan

Reliability, Validity and The Experimental Process: A Neurobiological Case Study

Damien Fennell

Understanding Formal Methods as Models – The Case of Causal Inference

 

14.30

Grant Fisher

Total evidence and empirical indispensability.

Michael Joffe

Causal understanding in biology and economics

 

15.00

x

Caterina Marchionni, Jack Vromen

Ultimate and proximate explanations of cooperative behaviour.

 

15.30-16.00

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

 

16.00-17.30

Discovery (room A)
Chair: Stuart Gluck

Computer experiments (room B)

Chair: Philip Brey

Symposium 3

(Amphi Theatre)

The Role and Impact of the ‘Philosophy of Science in Practice’ on Designing Approaches to Higher Science Education

Organization:
Ismo Koponen

Agustín Adúriz-Bravo

Speakers:
Ismo Koponen
Agustín Adúriz-Bravo
Ana Couló
Veli-Matti Vesterinen
Ciara Muldoon
Maija Akela
 

16.00

Sophia Efstathiou

Found Science: Founding race categories in the context of biomedical science

Jeff Kochan

Computer Simulation as Experimental Method

 

16.30

Helen De Cruz

Scientific creativity as structured imagination

Johannes Lenhard

The Re-Configuration of Bayesianism in Recent Statistical Practice

 

17.00

Jarmo Pulkkinen

Metaphors and scientific discovery

Stéphanie Ruphy

What do we actually learn from virtual worlds?

 

17.30-17.45

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

 

17.45-18.45

Nancy Cartwright: Evidence for Use (Amphi Theatre) Chair: Hasok Chang

 

19.15 – 21.30

Visit to Enschede, dinner at own expenses. Bus leaves in front of Drienerburght

FRIDAY August 24

09.00-10.00

Joe Rouse: Articulating the World: Experimental Systems and Conceptual Understanding (Amphi Theatre) Chair: Rachel A. Ankeny

10.15-10.30

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

10.30-12.00

Epistemology (room A)
Chair: Stuart Gluck

Measurement (room B)

Chair: Marcel Boumans

Symposium 4

(Amphi Theatre)

How Do Practices Move Knowledge

Organization:
Rachel A. Ankeny
Martina Merz
Speakers:
Erika Mattila
Ed Ramsden
Sabina Leonelli

10.30

Sergio F. Martínez

What is Cognition? A View From Scientific Practices

Victor Binzberger

Practices of stabilizing the understanding of software code

11.00

Sang-Wook Yi

Values in action

Peter Rodenburg

The Construction of Instruments for Measuring Unemployment

11.30

Isabelle Peschard

Ethical Values, Scientific Practice and Virtue Epistemology

Ulrich Krohs

The influence of measuring technology on model building in molecular biology

12.00-13.30

Lunch (Drienerburght) / Meeting SPSP-London (Room B)

13.30-15.00

Normativity (room A)
Chair: Rachel A. Ankeny

Observation (room B)

Chair: Isabelle Peschard

Symposium 5

(Amphi Theatre)

Hooking up Models to the World

Organization:
Aki Lehtinen
Uskali Mäki
Speakers:
Uskali Mäki
Till Grüne-Yanoff
Tarja Knuuttila
Jaakko Kuorikoski
Aki Lehtinen

13.30

Erik Weber

Procedures and criteria of the IARC Monogaphs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans

Stuart Gluck

Data and Phenomena

14.00

Alison Wylie

What Knowers Know Well: Standpoint Theory as a Rationale for Collaborative Research Practice in Archaeology

Uljana Feest

Re-Reading Hanson: Observations and their Objects

14.30

Torsten Wilholt

The Problem of Bias in Scientific Research

Matthew D. Lund

What Implications Does Theory-Laden Observation Have For Scientific Practice?

15.00-15.30

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

15.30-17.00

Risk (room A)
Chair: Katinka Waelbers

Representation (room B)

Chair: Fokko-Jan Dijksterhuis

Symposium 6 (Amphi Theatre)

Stabilizing Evidence

Organization:
Marcel Boumans
Speakers:
Hubertus Nederbragt
Harro Maas
Marcel Boumans

15.30

Birgitte Wandall

How values influence the outcome of risk assesments – the case of trans fatty acids

Marion Vorms

Understanding theories in practice: representational and computational aspects

16.00

Susan Hawthorne

Embedding of Values in Science: The Case of ADHD Research

Demetris Portides

Seeking Representations of Phenomena: Phenomenological Models

16.30

Priya Venkatesan

Scientific Practice in the Context of Literary Paradigms

Andrea Woody

Attention to Practice: Representation in Molecular Chemistry

17.00-17.30

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

17.30-18.30

Mieke Boon: Two Traditions in Scientific Practice (Amphi Theatre) Chair: Marcel Boumans

18.45-19.45

Architecture and art walk over the campus (starts at Drienerburght)

20.00 -

Conference Dinner (Faculty Club)

SATURDAY August 25

09.00-10.30

Techno-science (room A)
Chair: Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis

Understanding (room B)

Chair: Mieke Boon

Symposium 7 (room C)

Social and Political Aspects of the Study of Disease

Organization:
Julian Reiss
David Teira
Speakers:
David Teira
Rachel A. Ankeny
Trudy Dehue
Julian Reiss

09.00

Christopher Bissell

Engineering models: is there a difference?

Petri Ylikoski

Social Mechanisms and the Illusion of Depth of Understanding

09.30

Juan B. Bengoetxea

Do technoscientific experiments have their own life?

Steffen Ducheyne

Stating the “hard problem” of scientific understanding

10.00

Joachim Schummer

Evidence-based Philosophy of Science

Kai Eigner

The role of analogies for scientific understanding: An example from cognitive science

10.30-10.45

Coffee – tea (Drienerburght)

10.45-11.45

Explanation (room B)

Chair: Stuart Gluck

10.30-11.55

Symposium 8 (room C)

Science, Social Constructivism and Psychoanalysis: Exploring the Options

Organization:
Filip Buekens
Speakers:
Andreas De Block
Maarten Boudry
Filip Buekens

10.45

Cyrille Imbert

Explanation, understanding and opacity

11.15

Hauke Riesch

Simple or simplistic? Scientists views on Occam’s razor

11.45-12.00

Break

12.00-13.00

John Dupre: The Abstract Individual in Nature and Society (Amphi Theatre) Chair: Hasok Chang

13.15-14.15

Closing Lunch (Drienerburght)

Conference participants

 

Lastname

Firstname

University

1.

Aduriz-Bravo

Agustin

University of Helsinki

2.

Andersen

Hanne

University of Aarhus

3.

Ankeny

Rachel

University of Adelaide

4.

Bengoetxea

Juan B

Spain

5.

Binzberger

Viktor

Technical University of Budapest

6.

Birrer

Frans

Leiden University

7.

Bissell

Christopher

Open University

8.

Bluhm

Robyn

The University of Western Ontario

9.

Boon

Mieke

Twente University

10.

Borgerson

Kirstin

University of Toronto

11.

Boumans

Marcel

University of Amsterdam

12.

Brey

Philip

University of Twente

13.

Briggle

Adam

University of Twente

14.

Cartwright

Nancy

London School of Economics and Political Science

15.

Chang

Hasok

University College London

16.

Coula

Ana

Universidad de Buenos Aires

17.

De Cruz

Helen

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

18.

De Regt

Henk

VU University

19.

Dijksterhuis

Fokko Jan

University of twente

20.

Douglas

Heather

University of Tennessee

21.

Driessen

Clemens

Wageningen UR

22.

Ducheyne

Steffen

Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science

23.

Dupre

John

University of Exeter

24.

Efstathiou

Sophia

UCSD

25.

Eigner

Kai

VU Amsterdam

26.

Feest

Uljana

TU Berlin

27.

Fennell

Damien

Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study

28.

Fisher

Grant

University College London

29.

Gluck

Stuart

University of Twente

30.

Goldenberg

Maya

University of Guelph

31.

Hawthorne

Susan

University of Minnesota

32.

Imbert

Cyrille

IHPST

33.

Inkpen

Robert

University of Portsmouth

34.

Joffe

Michael

Imperial College

35.

Jones

Adam

 

36.

Jones

Bill

 

37.

Katzir

Shaul

Leo Baeck Institute, London

38.

Kleinhans

Maarten

Universiteit Utrecht

39.

Knuuttilla

Tarja

University of Helsinki

40.

Kochan

Jeff

University of Alberta

41.

Koponen

Ismo

University of Helsinki

42.

Krohs

Ulrich

University of Hamburg

43.

Kumar

Anil

Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology

44.

Kuorikoski

Jaakko

University of Helsinki

45.

Lehtinen

Aki

University of Helsinki

46.

Lenhard

Johannes

Bielefeld University

47.

Lentsch

Justus

Institute for Science & Technology Studies (IWT)

48.

Leonelli

Sabina

LSE

49.

Lund

Matthew

Rowan University

50.

Maas

Harro

UVA

51.

Magill

John

 

52.

Mäki

Uskali

Academy of Finland

53.

Mansaray

Alhaji

Masinaday Foundation

54.

Marchionni

Caterina

Erasmus University of Rotterdam

55.

Mattila

Erika

London School of Economics and Political Science

56.

Merz

Martina

University of Lucerne

57.

Nederbragt

Bert

Department of Pathobiology

58.

Obi

Mark Ifeanyi

The Evangel Mission

59.

Onyenka

Paul

 

60.

Peschard

Isabelle

University of Twente

61.

Portides

Demetris

University of Cyprus

62.

Pulkkinen

Jarmo

University of Oulu

63.

Ramsden

Edmund

London School of Economics

64.

Reiss

Julian

Complutense University

65.

Riesch

Hauke

University College London

66.

Rodenburg

Peter

University of Amsterdam

67.

Rouse

Joseph

Wesleyan University

68.

Ruphy

Stephanie

Universitea de Provence

69.

Schummer

Joachim

University of Darmstadt

70.

Schwandt

Edgar

University of Twente

71.

Teira

David

UNED

72.

Turner

Derek

Connecticut College

73.

Venkatesan Hays

Priya

Dartmouth College

74.

Vesterinen

Veli-Matti

University of Helsinki

75.

Vorms

Marion

IHPST

76.

Vromen

Jack

Erasmus University

77.

Waelbers

Katinka

University of Twente

78.

Wandall

Birgitte

Royal Institute of Technology

79.

Weber

Erik

Ghent University (UGent)

80.

Wilholt

Torsten

Bielefeld University

81.

Woody

Andrea

University of Washington

82.

Wylie

Alison

University of Washington

83.

YI

Sang-Wook

Hanyang University

84.

Ylikoski

Petri

University of Helsinki

PRACTICAL MATTERS

CONTACT

If you have any questions or concerns during the conference, feel free to contact Johnny Søraker, either in person, by email <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> or mobile phone <+31 (0)618110704>.

WIRELESS INTERNET ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE CAMPUS:

Network SSID : GUEST (Capital letters, hidden)

Set Network authorization to ‘open’ and data encryption to ‘disabled’

Connect to the network and open your browser. This should automatically redirect you to a logon screen.

Enter the following details:

·

Login: …

·

Password: …

More information can be obtained at the reception of the Drienerburght hotel.

SESSIONS

Talks are 30 minutes, including discussion. We recommend that speakers present for 20 minutes, with 10 minutes remaining for discussion. Please notify Katinka Waelbers as soon as possible if you have any technological requirements beyond laptop (Windows), video projector and whiteboard. Do not sent your presentation files in advance: please use a USB memory stick. You are encouraged to copy your files to the PC during one of the breaks before your talk. It is possible to hook up your laptop, but (in order to save time) this should be reserved for cases in which important formatting might be lost or if the provided software is incompatible.

FOOD AND DRINKS

Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any dietary requirements.

Coffee/Tea/Snacks:

Coffee/Tea will be served free of charge in most breaks. In some breaks, pastries and/or fruit will also be served.

Lunches

Lunch buffets are served in the main hall of Drienerburght hotel. All costs have been covered by your conference fee.

Dinners

Thursday, August 23: There will be a special conference bus to Enschede Thursday evening. The bus will leave the campus at exactly 19.30 hours. At 22.00 hours the bus will be leaving from Enschede (…) to the campus.

Friday, August 24: The main conference dinner will be served in the Faculty club on Friday evening, 19:45. The Faculty Club is a 2 min. walk from the Drienerburght (see map on next page). The cost of the conference dinner has been covered by your fee as well.

Closing lunch

After the closing plenary on Saturday, lunch will be served in the Drienerburght hotel bar.

RECEIPT

If you need a receipt for your registration fee, please notify one of the local organizers, and we will send it to you by mail/email/fax (whichever you prefer) immediately after the conference.

Accomodation

Accomodation has been reserved in the three-star conference hotel the Drienerburght, which is located in the conference centre the Drienerburght, in which the conference takes place. The Drienerburght is centrally located on the campus of the University of Twente. For more information, see Drienerburght.

We recommend that you reserve a room in the Drienerburght through form on the following website: Book room Drienerburght.

You can also book a room in Logica. These rooms are more basic then the rooms in Drienerburght: Book room Logica.

You can indicate on the form for which nights you wish to reserve. If you mention the SPSP conference, you will get a discount.

Please reserve early, so that we can guarantee you a room.

In case you wish to make reservations in another hotel, please visit this link.

Please be advised that the only other hotels within walking distance of the campus are the Best Western Country Hotel De Broeierd and the Parkhotel Enschede. Other hotels are located downtown in the city of Enschede (5-10 min. by car or bus) or in the nearby city of Hengelo (also 5-10 min. by car or bus).

For further questions on accommodation, including special room requests or diet requests for the conference dinner, please mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our secretary, Petra Bruulsema, will answer your questions.

Travel information

The campus of the University of Twente is located between the cities of Hengelo (pop. 75,000) and Enschede (pop. 150,000). Enschede is considered the cultural capital of the area. From Drienerburght, the downtown area of Enschede is only 10 min. by bus (€1) or taxi (appr. €15). Frequent buses go to both cities, until about 11 PM. Please ask the hotel reception for bus information. They can also order a taxi for you. Travel information can also be found online at www.ns.nl (trains) or www.9292ov.nl (busses and other means of transportation).

If you come to the University of Twente by car or public transportation, please check directions.

If you come to the University of Twente by air:

Take a plane to Schiphol Airport (= Amsterdam Airport), then take a direct train from Schiphol to the city of Hengelo.

Train departures (final destination Enschede) are seven minutes to the hour (there is another train seven minutes to the half hour; you then have to switch in Amersfoort , the train to Hengelo/Enschede is waiting at the other side of the platform). Note that this train does not pass through Amsterdam Central Station and takes a little more than two hours to arrive in Hengelo.

In Hengelo you can take a taxi, a train taxi or a local bus to the University (approx. 10 minutes).
Your final stop is conference centre and conference hotel "Drienerburght" on the campus of the University.

Links:

For your hotel, follow the link to a campus map. The “Drienerburght” is no. 15 on the map.

Information on the University of Twente can be found at http://www.utwente.nl/uk/

To plan your journey by train you can use The Dutch Railway planner.

Invited speakers

  • Nancy Cartwright (Professor of Philosophy, Chair of CPNSS; London School of Economic, UK)
  • Hasok Chang (Professor History and Philosophy of the Physical Sciences; University College London, UK)
  • John Dupré (Director of Egenis/Professor of Philosophy of Science Exeter University, UK)
  • Joseph Rouse (Hedding Professor of Moral Science, Chair Science in Society; Wesleyan University, USA)

Programme Committee

Mieke Boon

University of Twente

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Hasok Chang

University College London

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Marcel Boumans

University of Amsterdam

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Rachel A. Ankeny

University of Sydney

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Henk de Regt

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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