Diversity & Inclusion
PSA Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness
As a society, the PSA is committed to diversity in our profession and strives for inclusiveness in all aspects of professional life in philosophy of science and in academia. The PSA considers our differences of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, socioeconomic status, occupation, geographic origin, abilities, experience, and more, as valuable sources of strength and of health of our profession, enhancing our collective abilities as philosophers of science. The PSA welcomes philosophers of science from all backgrounds and strives to create an environment in which everyone feels respected and valued. The PSA is committed to working toward making our profession as a whole more equitable and inclusive.
PSA's Commitment to Antiracism, Diversity, & Inclusion
PSA Statement on Police Violence and Black Lives Matter
Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
Below is a list of some of the ways the PSA has been pursuing this mission to increase and support diversity and inclusiveness in our profession in all its various facets. Get involved to help support these activities: join the PSA, volunteer or participate in the UPSS Initiative, join the Women’s Caucus, volunteer to serve on a PSA Committee, or donate to these initiatives.
UPSS InitiativeUnderrepresented Philosophy of Science Scholars Initiative aims to raise awareness about the problem of underrepresentation in the philosophy of science, design and implement programs to address this problem, mentor students and early career scholars from underrepresented groups, work toward making philosophy of science a more welcoming field, and increase the diversity of the PSA membership and meetings. Among the initiatives implemented are the UPSS Mentoring Program, the UPSS Delegate Program, UPSS Session at the PSA Biennial Meeting, and UPSS Travel Grants to attend the PSA Biennial Meeting. To get involved, volunteer, or participate in the UPSS Initiatives click here. To donate to the PSA travel grants to help support this mission, click here.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Caucus
The PSA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Caucus was founded in November, 2006 at the PSA meeting in Vancouver, BC. It was formerly known as the Women's Caucus. The goals are to support marginalized scholars entering the philosophy of science, to provide an opportunity for networking among marginalized folks, and to raise the visibility of marginalized scholars in the field. The caucus is an umbrella organization supporting affinity groups (details below!) intended to achieve these goals for different groups of scholars. The Caucus is authorized by the PSA Governing Board and is accountable to that Board. Its co-chairs act as a resource to the organization on questions that are pertinent to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession as well as within the PSA itself. To join the DEI Caucus or learn more about it, click here. To donate to the DEI Caucus, click here.
Poster ForumThe Poster Forum allows scholars to discuss work in a different format than in regular PSA sessions and also offers an opportunity to present a greater diversity of work not included in regular sessions, including teaching and outreach and engagement activities. The Poster Forum has proved a huge success, with the Poster Forum almost doubling in size between 2016 and 2018. You can view videos with discussions with Poster Forum participants from the most recent Poster Forum in Seattle here.
Welcome ReceptionIn an effort to make the meeting more welcoming to new attendees and early-career scholars, the PSA holds a Welcome Reception on the first evening of the PSA Biennial Meeting. The reception provides an opportunity for early-career scholars to get to know one another and to mingle with officers of the association.
Dependent Care Subsidies
The PSA offers subsidies to help those with dependents attend our Biennial Meeting. Information about how to apply for a Dependent Care Subsidy is announced in the summer preceding the meeting. To donate to help with this mission, click here.
Onsite Childcare at Our Meetings
The PSA offers onsite childcare to help those with children attend our Biennial Meeting. Information about onsite childcare is announced in the summer preceding the meeting.
Sponsor-a-Scholar Program
The Sponsor-a-Scholar Program helps to support scholars from countries where currency inequities effectively prevent them from joining the PSA or traveling to our meeting. The PSA covers the membership fees of sponsored scholars. Sponsored Scholars can also apply for travel grants to help cover their costs of PSA Biennial meetings. To apply to become a sponsored scholar, please send your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a paragraph explaining how membership in the PSA would benefit you to: office@philsci.org. You can donate to help support the Sponsor-a-Scholar program by clicking here.
Travel Grants
The PSA provides travel grants to help early career scholars attend our Biennial Meeting. These travel grants early career international scholars, those participating in our UPSS initiatives, and those who are part of the Sponsor-a-Scholar program. To donate to the PSA Travel Grant Fund, click here.
Cognate Society Sessions
In an effort to encourage greater cooperation with other societies and to help diversify the work presented at the PSA Biennial Meetings, the PSA invites cognate societies to propose sessions as part of the PSA Biennial Meeting. These sessions are typically held on the opening morning of the meeting.
Interest Group Lunches
To help foster a more welcoming atmosphere at our meetings and to provide opportunities for all our members to connect with others with common interests, the PSA helps facilitate interest group lunches during our meetings. Calls for proposals for interest group lunches are sent out in the summer preceding the meeting.
Demographics
To monitor longitudinal trends in the PSA membership, conference and journal submissions, and conference participation, the PSA collects demographic information about our membership and submissions to our conferences and journal to help guide our mission. To read more about why we collect this information and what we do with it, click here.
PSA Committees Helping to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
PSA Diversity and Climate Committee
The Diversity and Climate Committee monitors and oversees initiatives related to diversity and climate in the context of the Philosophy of Science Association’s activities and publications. To volunteer to serve on this committee, click here.
PSA International Relations Committee
The International Relations Committee works to promote the philosophy of science worldwide and work with other philosophy of science organizations around the globe. To volunteer to serve on this committee, click here.
PSA Underrepresented Philosophy of Science Scholar Initiative Committee (UPSS)
The UPSS Committee is responsible for developing and overseeing the PSA's Underrepresented Philosophy of Science Scholar Initiative. To volunteer to serve on this committee, click here. To read more about the UPSS Initiative, click here.