PSA Mission
The Philosophy of Science Association promotes research, teaching, and free discussion of issues in the philosophy of science from diverse standpoints. To this end, the PSA engages in activities such as: the publishing of periodicals, essays and monographs; sponsoring conventions and meetings; and awarding prizes for distinguished work in the field.
PSA Announcements
Results of 2012 PSA Election
On behalf of the Governing Board of the Philosophy of Science Association, it is my pleasure to announce the results of the 2012 PSA Election.
C. Kenneth Waters of the University of Minnesota has been elected President of the PSA. Professor Waters will serve a two-year term (from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014) as Vice-President of the PSA, after which he will serve a two-year term (January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2016) as President of the Association, delivering the PSA Presidential Address at PSA2016 in Atlanta.
Rachel Ankeny of the University of Adelaide and Alan Richardson of the University of British Columbia have been elected to the Governing Board for the PSA. Consequently the PSA Governing Board is presently comprised of:
- Current President: Helen Longino Stanford University Term: 2013/01/01 - 2014/12/31
- President Elect: C. Kenneth Waters University of Minnesota Term: 2015/01/01 - 2016/12/31
- Previous President: James Woodward California Institute of Technology Term: 2011/01/01 - 2012/12/31
- Rachel Ankeny University of Adelaide Term: 2013/01/01 - 2016/12/31
- John Dupré University of Exeter Term: 2011/01/01 - 2014/12/31
- Stephan Hartmann Tilburg University Term: 2010/01/01 - 2013/12/31
- Michela Massimi University College London Term: 2012/01/01 - 2015/12/31
- Roberta Millstein University of California, Davis Term: 2010/01/01 - 2013/12/31
- Alan Richardson University of British Columbia Term: 2011/01/01 - 2016/12/31
- Miriam Solomon Temple University Term: 2011/01/01 - 2014/12/31
- Christian Wüthrich University of California, San Diego Term: 2012/01/01 - 2015/12/31
The Officers of the PSA welcome and congratulate Professor Waters on his election to the Presidency of the PSA, and welcome and congratulate Professors Ankeny and Richardson on their election to the PSA Governing Board! The Officers also offer deep appreciation and thanks to Nancy Cartwright, former PSA President (University of California, San Diego/University of Durham), and Robert Batterman (University of Pittsburgh) for their service to the PSA. The Officers of the PSA also thank the Nominating Committee, comprised of Hanne Andersen (Aarhus University), Kathleen Okruhlik (University of Western Ontario), and, as chair, P. Kyle Stanford (University of California, Irvine) for assembling a stellar ballot.
The 2012 PSA Election was conducted electronically by the History of Science Society, under the supervision of Jay Malone. PSA members were solicited to vote via email. Of 534 Full PSA members eligible to vote in the 2012 PSA election, 194 (36.23%) cast votes. The absolute number of voters in the 2012 election increased 16.87% over the absolute number of voters in the 2011 election, and turnout in 2012 rose 7.46 percentage points as compared to 2011.
Finally, I thank those Full PSA members who took the time to vote in this election. Once again, the PSA Election ran smoothly due in large part to the experience and dedication of Jay Malone and his staff at the History of Science Society, especially Greg Macklem. If you are a Full Member of the PSA and you encountered problems in voting electronically, though, or if you have any other comments, questions, or concerns about the 2012 PSA Election, please contact me at psa@umbc.edu.
Sincerely,
Jessica Pfeifer
Executive Secretary and Treasurer
New PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer
The Governing Board of the Philosophy of Science Association is pleased to announce that Jessica Pfeifer, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will assume the position of the Executive Secretary and Treasurer of the PSA.
Professor Pfeifer received her Ph.D. in Philosophy/Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego and has taught at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County since 1998. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh, \ has published papers in a range of topics in philosophy of science, and co-edited, with Sahotra Sarkar, The Philosophy of Science: An Encyclopedia, Vols. 1 & 2 (Routledge, 2006).
In addition to expertise she has gained as a result of her extensive scholarly, editorial, and administrative work within academia, Professor Pfeifer brings to the Philosophy of Science Association a range of financial and bookkeeping skills gained outside academia, skills that will serve the PSA well in advancing its mission of promoting research, teaching, and discussion of issues within the philosophy of science from diverse viewpoints. Professor Pfeifer is interested particularly in improving the PSA's institutional memory, facilitating the mentoring of philosophers of science at the start of their careers, and making the scientific community and the general public aware of the philosophy of science and its value in public discourse.
Professor Pfeifer has already assumed several of the jobs of the PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer, including managing posts to the PSA-L Announcement List and the PSA jobs listing. In the near future she will assume all the duties of the position. Items for the PSA-L list or the PSA jobs listing can be brought to her attention at psa@umbc.edu.
The Governing Board invites all members of the PSA and related academic societies to join us in congratulating Professor Pfeifer and welcoming her as the PSA's Executive Secretary and Treasurer.
Lakatos Award 2012
The London School of Economics and Political Science announces that the Lakatos Award, of £10,000 for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science, has been won by Wolfgang Spohn of the University of Konstanz for his book The Laws of Belief: Ranking Theory and its Philosophical Implications (Oxford University Press, 2012).
The Lakatos Award is given for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science, widely interpreted, in the form of a book published in English during the previous five years. It was made possible by a generous endowment from the Latsis Foundation. The Award is in memory of the former LSE professor, Imre Lakatos, and is administered by an international Management Committee organised from the LSE.
The Committee, chaired by John Worrall, decides the outcome of the Award competition on the advice of an international, independent and anonymous panel of Selectors who produce detailed reports on the nominated books.
Nominations can now be made for the 2013 Lakatos Award, and must be received by Friday 19th April 2013. The 2013 Award will be for a book published in English with an imprint from 2008-2013 inclusive. A book may, with the permission of the author, be nominated by any person of recognised standing within the profession. (The Management Committee is not empowered to nominate books itself but only to respond to outside nominations.)
For further details of the nomination procedure or more information on the Lakatos Award 2013, contact the Administrator, Tom Hinrichsen, att.a.hinrichsen@lse.ac.uk.
Imre Lakatos, who died in 1974 aged 51, had been Professor of Logic with special reference to the Philosophy of Mathematics at LSE since 1969. He joined the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method in 1960. Born in Hungary in 1922, he graduated (in Physics, Mathematics and Philosophy) from Debrecen University in 1944. He then joined the underground resistance. (His mother and grandmother perished in Auschwitz.) After the War, he was active in the Communist Party and had an influential position in the Ministry of Education. In 1950 he was arrested and spent the next three years as a political prisoner. After his release, he was given refuge in the Hungarian Academy of Science where he translated western works in science and mathematics into Hungarian. After the suppression of the Hungarian uprising he escaped to Vienna and from there, with the aid of a Rockefeller fellowship, on to Cambridge, England. He there wrote his (second) doctoral thesis out of which grew his famous Proofs and Refutations (CUP, 1976). Two volumes of Philosophical Papers, edited by John Worrall and Gregory Currie, appeared in 1978, also from CUP.
Call for Papers: SPSP Fourth Biennial Conference
- Location: University of Toronto, Canada
- Event Date: 26-29 June 2013
- Submission Deadline: Dec. 1, 2012
- Notification of acceptance: 1 February 2013
- Main Contact: Andrea Woody, awoody@u.washington.edu
- Keynote speakers will include: Rachel A. Ankeny (University of Adelaide), James Griesemer (University of California at Davis), Arthur Fine (University of Washington), (and 1-2 others expected).
Information regarding submissions can be found at: http://www.philosophy-science-practice.org/en/abstracts/new_abstract/
The Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP) aims to create an interdisciplinary community of scholars who approach the philosophy of science with a focus on scientific practice and the practical uses of scientific knowledge. For further details on our objectives, see our mission statement at: http://www.philosophy-science-practice.org/en/mission-statement/
The SPSP biennial conferences provide a broad forum for scholars committed to making detailed and systematic studies of scientific practices -- neither dismissing concerns about truth and rationality, nor ignoring contextual and pragmatic factors. The conferences aim at cutting through traditional disciplinary barriers and developing novel approaches. We welcome contributions from not only philosophers of science, but also philosophers working in epistemology and ethics, as well as the philosophy of engineering, technology, medicine, agriculture, and other practical fields. Additionally, we welcome contributions from historians and sociologists of science, pure and applied scientists, and any others with an interest in philosophical questions regarding scientific practice.
We welcome both individual papers, and also strongly encourage proposals for whole, thematic sessions with coordinated papers, particularly those which include multiple disciplinary perspectives and/or input from scientific practitioners. You may wish to involve other members of SPSP (a listing is available on our website) or post a notice to the SPSP mailing list describing your area of interest and seeking other possible participants for a session proposal. (To post to this list, please send your email to: spsp-members@philosophy-science-practice.org. Only members can post to this list).
Andrea Woody
Department of Philosophy
University of Washington
mail address:
- Box 353350, M393 Savery Hall
- University of Washington
- Seattle, WA 98195
- phone: (206) 685-2663; (206) 543-5855 (main office)
- fax: (206) 685-8740
Call for Nominations: PSA Governing Board and PSA Presidency
Official PDF of this announcement: download
On December 31, 2012, two of the eight members of the current PSA Governing Board -- Robert Batterman and Alan Richardson -- will complete their terms, and PSA President-Elect Helen Longino will succeed James Woodward as PSA President. In its 2012 election the PSA will elect two members of its Governing Board, each of whom will serve a four-year term beginning January 1, 2013, and a President-Elect, who will serve a two-year term as PSA President beginning January 1, 2015.
Per the By-Laws of the Philosophy of Science Association (Art. IV, §§6-7) nominations to run for the Governing Board and the Presidency of the PSA may be made by any fifteen full members of the PSA. Accordingly the PSA Nominating Committee (Hanne Andersen, Kathleen Okruhlik, and P. Kyle Stanford (chair)) solicits nominations from the PSA membership for both the Governing Board and the Presidency of the PSA. Nominations should be submitted by e-mail to P. Kyle Stanford (stanford at uci.edu). Nominations for either office from any fifteen Full members of the PSA will appear on the ballot of the 2012 PSA Election provided they are received by November 8, 2012.
PSA members are reminded that only Full members of the PSA are eligible to run for PSA office and nominate candidates for PSA office, and only full and retired PSA members may vote in PSA elections. In addition, PSA members are reminded that past Presidents of the PSA may not serve a second term as PSA President and that Governing Board members may not serve two consecutive terms, with the following exception: by prior agreement with the PSA Governing Board, Robert Batterman and Alan Richardson, who volunteered to serve two-year terms on the PSA Governing Board in order to facilitate the recent transition to four-year terms, will be offered a place on the ballot for the Governing Board for the 2012 PSA Election, to run for a full (four-year) term.
PSA2012 Preliminary Program Update
The PSA2012 program, as of 10/16/12, has been posted at the PSA2012 conference site.
Call for Applications for PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer
Official PDF of this announcement: download
Gary Hardcastle, who has very ably served the Philosophy of Science Association for the past six years as its Executive Secretary and Treasurer, must step down at the end of 2012. We are enormously grateful for all of the work Gary has done for the PSA and for his many contributions to its smooth functioning.
Consequently, the PSA Governing Board seeks applications for the post of PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer. Ideally, service in this position would begin on January 1, 2013. Interested applicants are requested to send a letter of application (with CV) to Professor Helen Longino (who is chairing the search committee) at hlongino@stanford.edu by October 31, 2012. All inquires about this position should also be directed to Professor Longino. The Governing Board plans to interview candidates at PSA2012 in San Diego, November 15-17, and reserves the right to hold the search open until an appropriate candidate has been found. Successful candidates will have an advanced degree and a faculty position in the field. They will be energetic, creative, conscientious and willing to work on the growth and development of PSA. It is desirable that they possess some management and/or business experience.
The Philosophy of Science Association is an incorporated non-profit 501(c)(3) academic association dedicated to the promotion of research, teaching, and free discussion of issues in the philosophy of science from diverse standpoints. To this end, the PSA publishes Philosophy of Science, sponsors conferences, and awards prizes for distinguished work in the field. The PSA has approximately 1000 members, distributed among over 30 countries, and is run by the PSA Governing Board, which consists of eight elected Board members and the PSA President, President-Elect, and Past-President. For more information about PSA governance see the PSA By-Laws at http://www.philsci.org/about/bylaws.html.
The PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer supervises the business affairs of the Association, handling all financial matters as well as serving as the contact between the PSA and other business entities with which the PSA has professional dealings, including the History of Science Society and the University of Chicago Press. The Executive Secretary ensures that the PSA By-Laws are followed, oversees elections and awards, communicates with members of the Association, and, in conjunction with the HSS, arranges the PSA's biennial meeting. In addition, the Executive Secretary coordinates with the Governing Board and provides it with the necessary information for its smooth operation, in particular, quarterly financial reports and a general annual report. More generally, the position of Executive Secretary requires creative engagement with the HSS, UC Press, and other professional organizations, as well as with the PSA Governing Board, to achieve the goals and further the interests of the Association. The Executive Secretary is appointed for a four-year term.
Compensation for the position of Executive Secretary is negotiable. In the past, the PSA has been able to pay for course release for the PSA Executive Secretary and Treasurer.
PSA2012 Preliminary Program Update
The PSA2012 program, as of 10/11/12, has been posted at the PSA2012 conference site. This listing includes all program chairs, as well as times for PSA administrative meetings, receptions, and the PSA Awards and PSA Presidential Address. In case you've not done so yet, be sure to register and make hotel reservations for PSA2012 in San Diego, one month away!
