[PhilPhys] CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: The Wise Scientist: Historical and Philosophical Reflections on the Place of Wisdom in Science

[HAPSAT]

The Wise Scientist: Historical and Philosophical Reflections on the Place
of Wisdom in Science
Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Toronto,
Graduate Conference

HAPSAT, the graduate course union of the IHPST invites scholars to submit
paper proposals for our upcoming conference, which will be held on June
2nd, 2012 at the University of Toronto.

In the History and Philosophy of Science, it has become the consensus view
that values play a constitutive role in scientific practice. However,
relatively little attention has been paid to the consequences of this
conclusion: that the values that scientists, as individuals, bring to bear
on their work is of paramount importance. In short, the wisdom of
scientists matters. This conference seeks to put this fact in its
historical and philosophical context, exploring past and present attitudes
towards the relationship between scientific practice and what could broadly
be called wisdom. Wisdom is a multifaceted concept, including the ability
to know what is important, the skillful appreciation of how things in
general hang together, and the deep insight which can result from a
lifetime of exploring nature's depths. Examples of how wisdom, or a lack
thereof, have played a role in science abound, including the illuminating
critiques of feminisms, the constitutive role religious values have played
in the history of natural science, and reflections on scientists as public
advocates for environmental responsibility. We welcome topics including but
not limited to:

   - Case studies which highlight particularly wise (or spectacularly
   unwise) scientists
   - The changing role of individuals in the scientific process, and how
   that affects the interplay of values and epistemic goals
   - The role of scientists in society at large in shaping discourse and
   providing guidance
   - Hypothesis formulation, that unformalized creative moment in the
   scientific method
   - The need for an ongoing feminist critique of science in order to clear
   the cobwebs of ideology
   - The effect Eastern and Western religions can have on the epistemic
   goals of science.

The keynote speaker will be *Dr. John Vervaeke*, a professor of cognitive
science at U of T. He will discuss the function of wisdom as enhanced
relevance realization in scientific practice.

Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words, and must be received by *February
30th*,* 2012*. Submissions or questions about the conference should be send
to cory.lewis at utoronto.ca, along with your name, e-mail and institutional
affiliation.
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