[PhilPhys] CFP: Large Language Models for the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science (Workshop)

[Adrian Wüthrich]

      Large Language Models for the History, Philosophy, and Sociology
      of Science (Workshop)

April 2-4, 2025, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany

Organized by: Gerd Graßhoff, Arno Simons, Adrian Wüthrich, and Michael 
Zichert


        Summary

We invite contributions to our workshop on *using large language models 
(LLMs) in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science (HPSS).* The 
workshop will focus on exploring use cases and proposals for how, and to 
what extent, LLMs might help overcome long-standing challenges in 
studies of how science works. The event will take place from *April 2–4, 
2025, at Technische Universität Berlin*, Germany.^1 Attendance (online 
and on site) will be *free and open to the public* but registration will 
be required. To contribute a talk, please submit *abstracts of 300–600 
words by December 31, 2024*, to arno.simons at tu-berlin.de.


        Workshop topics

*Computational approaches* to the *history of science* are in the 
process of establishing themselves among the standard repertoire of 
tools in the field and we have seen remarkable successes in their 
application already. Subfields of *sociology of science* have focused, 
since long, on quantitative methods such as bibliometrics and 
scientometrics. More recently, *philosophy of science* has experienced a 
shift towards allowing more empirical approaches including large-scale 
algorithmic analyses of scientific or methodological concepts. 
Computational tools can not only help reduce the workload in traditional 
research in these fields but, more importantly, also *open up new 
avenues* which to explore would otherwise be hopeless.

Analyses of co-occurrences and word frequencies as well as more advanced 
techniques such as topic modeling have helped go beyond identifying only 
structural features of scientific activities and began scratching the 
surface of *semantics*. However, a deeper understanding of scientific 
concepts, the structure of scientific arguments, and the process of 
knowledge transformation and spread have remained *formidable 
challenges* for computational approaches in the mentioned fields.

With the *advent of LLMs* this might change now. Natural language 
processing and machine learning have made a spectacular leap forward in 
their attempt to capture and analyze meaning and grammatical structures 
of texts. This promises that LLMs can help HPSS researchers meet the 
aforementioned challenges. However—besides general issues such as 
opacity, bias and interpretability—the use of LLMs for HPSS is likely to 
face *unique obstacles* arising from the specialized nature of 
scientific language as well as the specific perspectives and objectives 
of HPSS. It will be the main goal of this workshop to see how, given 
these obstacles, the most recent advances in LLM development can help 
overcome long-standing challenges in HPSS.

Accordingly, the workshop will address *two key themes*, with the goal 
of synthesizing them over the course of the event. On one hand, 
contributions should articulate *the specific needs and desiderata of 
HPSS researchers*—what they hope LLMs can achieve for their work. On the 
other hand, *the* *current state of LLM development* should be 
critically examined to determine to what extent these research goals are 
becoming attainable. Ideally, contributions will address both these 
objectives, though submissions focused on only one of them are also welcome.

We particularly encourage contributions that focus on:

  * Use cases that demonstrate how LLMs can help *resolve current
    issues* in HPSS
  * Examples of how LLMs allow researchers to *ask and answer new types
    of questions* in HPSS
  * How *new types of sources and data*, made analyzable through LLMs,
    contribute to novel insights in HPSS research

We look for contributions that help resolve questions like these:

  * How can LLMs help gain *new perspectives on long-standing problems*
    in HPSS such as determining the relevant contexts of knowledge
    claims, the dynamics of scientific controversies, problems of
    incommensurability, and generalizability of case studies?
  * How can LLMs handle the *specialized language of scientific texts*,
    including technical jargon, citations, and mathematical formulas?
  * How can LLMs *bridge the gap between qualitative and computational
    methods* and help overcome their limitations?
  * How can LLMs be *integrated into existing theoretical and
    methodological frameworks* in HPSS, or how should these frameworks
    evolve to accommodate LLM-based analysis?
  * How can we *evaluate* the validity of results generated by LLMs,
    given their opacity?
  * How can LLMs account for the *temporal development* of scientific
    language and knowledge over time?


        Format and practical information

The workshop will take place from *April 2-4, 2025* at *Technische 
Universität Berlin*. The program will consist of an invited keynote and 
contributed short talks (15+10 min) as well as additional sessions for 
discussions. Attendance (online and on site) will be *free and open to 
the public* but registration will be required. Information on this will 
follow closer to the date.

*To contribute a talk*, please send an *abstract* of your planned 
contribution *of 300-600 words by e-mail* to arno.simons at tu-berlin.de by 
*December 31, 2024*. We encourage every contributor to present on site 
and to participate in the whole workshop program. In exceptional cases, 
we will offer the possibility to present remotely.

*Participation of underrepresented groups* is particularly welcome, and 
we may be able to offer financial support to cover travel costs for 
contributing authors in exceptional cases. Please indicate in your 
submission if you would like to apply for financial support.

We plan to *publish the slides, videos, and abstracts* on a suitable 
platform. We also plan to write a report on the workshop and on the 
perspectives resulting from it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1.

    The workshop is funded by the European Union through the project
    “*Network Epistemology in Practice (NEPI)*” (ERC Consolidator Grant,
    Project No. 101044932). Views and opinions expressed are however
    those of the organizers only and do not necessarily reflect those of
    the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the
    European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible
    for them.↩︎

-- 
Adrian Wuethrich
Technische Universitaet Berlin
Institut fuer Philosophie, Literatur-, Wissenschafts- und Technikgeschichte
Raum H 2534 / Sekr. H 23
Strasse des 17. Juni 135
D-10623 Berlin
adrian.wuethrich at tu-berlin.de
+49 30 314 24069
https://www.tu.berlin/go214591/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listbox.elte.hu/pipermail/philphys/attachments/20241008/08b1ff70/attachment.html>